Seasonal fluctuations in birth weight and neonatal limb length; does prenatal vitamin D influence neonatal size and shape?

McGrath, John J.; Keeping, Douglas; Saha, Sukanta; Chant, David; Lieberman, Daniel E.; O’Callaghan, Michael

doi:10.1016/j.earlhumdev.2005.03.013

Cited by 53 publications

(41 citation statements)

References 49 publications

(51 reference statements)

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“…Mean birthweight in winter was the lowest in our study, though the seasonal difference was not significant. However, a very large Scottish (Lawlor et al, 2005) and Australian study (McGrath et al, 2005) found that infants born in winter had the lowest birthweights. If the findings from this study apply, it could be that low intakes of folate in the last trimester may be a contributing factor.…”

Section: Winter Birth and Schizophreniamentioning

confidence: 97%

“…Other studies have reported an effect of season of birth on height and weight in later years (Wohlfahrt et al, 1998, Banegast et al, 2001, Koscinski et al, 2004 but the results are not consistent. Explanations advanced for these effects include seasonal differences in light exposure (Banegast et al, 2001), vitamin D synthesis (McGrath et al, 2005) and ambient outdoor temperature (Lawlor et al, 2005). It could also be that seasonal change in maternal diet during pregnancy plays a role.…”

Section: Relationships Between Maternal Nutrient Intake and Infant Bimentioning

confidence: 99%

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Seasonal variation of nutrient intake in pregnancy: effects on infant measures and possible influence on diseases related to season of birth

Watson

McDonald

2007

Eur J Clin Nutr

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Objectives: To determine, firstly, if there was any seasonal effect on nutrient intake during pregnancy and birth measures, secondly, if there was any relationship between maternal nutrient intake and infant birth measures according to season and thirdly, to consider the hypothesis that seasonal change in nutrient intake during pregnancy might affect health in later life of some women's offspring. Design: Pilot study to determine number of days required to characterize group intake followed by a prospective cohort study. Setting: Patients attending a city ante-natal clinic in the lower North Island, New Zealand. Subjects: A total of 214 healthy mostly European pregnant women volunteers, entering the second trimester of pregnancy, of whom 10 miscarried and seven withdrew. Methods: Subjects were visited in months 4 and 7 of pregnancy, and months 2, 6 and 12 after birth. Height, weight and skinfolds were measured and questionnaires to determine personal details administered at these times. Subjects recorded 8 days of weighed diets in both the fourth and seventh month. Health records were used to supply infant measures. Results: Significant (Pp0.05) seasonal variations in fat, carbohydrate, vitamin C and D, B vitamins, b-carotene, sodium, potassium, calcium, phosphorous, sulfur, sodium, chloride, zinc and selenium intakes were found. No significant 'main effect' difference in gestational age, infant birthweight, and head circumference was found with season. However, there were significant interactions (Pp0.05) for each birth season between birth measures and specific maternal nutrients at months 4 and 7 of pregnancy. Conclusion: The significant seasonal variations in nutrient intake in pregnant women, and significant influence of nutrient intake on birth measures in different seasons, suggests seasonal nutrient variation may also affect fetal development at a cellular level. This supports our hypothesis that the development of conditions related to season of birth, including schizophrenia, multiple sclerosis, type I diabetes and longevity, may be influenced by seasonal variation in nutrient intake during pregnancy.

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Section: Winter Birth and Schizophreniamentioning

confidence: 97%

Section: Relationships Between Maternal Nutrient Intake and Infant Bimentioning

confidence: 99%

Seasonal variation of nutrient intake in pregnancy: effects on infant measures and possible influence on diseases related to season of birth

Watson

McDonald

2007

Eur J Clin Nutr

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“…Compared to summer and autumn babies, those born in winter and spring tend to be heavier (Selvin and Janerich, 1971;Roberts, 1975;Matsuda et al, 1993;Murray et al, 2000;Waldie et al, 2000;Tustin et al, 2004;McGrath et al, 2005, in press) and longer (Wohlfahrt et al, 1998;Waldie et al, 2000;McGrath et al, 2005). These small anthropometric differences persist into adulthood: at age 18 winter/spring born individuals are taller compared to summer/autumn born individuals (Weber et al, 1998;Waldie et al, 2000).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 95%

Season of birth is associated with anthropometric and neurocognitive outcomes during infancy and childhood in a general population birth cohort

McGrath

Saha

Lieberman

et al. 2006

Schizophrenia Research

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The dseason of birthT effect is one of the most consistently replicated associations in schizophrenia epidemiology. In contrast, the association between season of birth and development in the general population is relatively poorly understood. The aim of this study was to explore the impact of season of birth on various anthropometric and neurocognitive variables from birth to age seven in a large, community-based birth cohort. A sample of white singleton infants born after 37 weeks gestation (n = 22,123) was drawn from the US Collaborative Perinatal Project. Anthropometric variables (weight, head circumference, length/height) and various measures of neurocognitive development, were assessed at birth, 8 months, 4 and 7 years of age. Compared to summer/autumn born infants, winter/spring born infants were significantly longer at birth, and at age seven were significantly heavier, taller and had larger head circumference. Winter/spring born infants were achieving significantly higher scores on the Bayley Motor Score at 8 months, the Graham-Ernhart Block Test at age 4, the Wechsler Intelligence Performance and Full Scale scores at age 7, but had significantly lower scores on the Bender-Gestalt Test at age 7 years. Winter/spring birth, while associated with an increased risk of schizophrenia, is generally associated with superior outcomes with respect to physical and cognitive development. D

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“…For example, nutritional dearth during gestation and/or development can result in decreased [84] or increased [85] relative lower limb length. Climatic factors have also consistently shown strong influences on limb proportions [86,87]; however, genetics powerfully impact lower limb proportions [88], even considering short-term environmental factors such as nutrition and hypoxia [89].…”

Section: Speed As a Selection Pressurementioning

confidence: 99%

Size and Shape: Morphology's Impact on Human Speed and Mobility

Wall-Scheffler

2012

Journal of Anthropology

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While human sexual dimorphism is generally expected to be the result of differential reproductive strategies, it has the potential to create differences in the energetics of locomotion and the speed at which each morph travels, particularly since people have been shown to choose walking speeds around their metabolic optimum. Here, people of varying sizes walked around a track at four self-selected speeds while their metabolic rate was collected, in order to test whether the size variation within a population could significantly affect the shape of the optimal walking curve. The data show that larger people have significantly faster optimal walking speeds, higher costs at their optimal speed, and a more acute optimal walking curve (thus an increased penalty for walking at suboptimal speeds). Bigger people who also have wider bitrochanteric breadths have lower metabolic costs at their minimum than bigger people with a more narrow bitrochanteric breadth. Finally, tibia length significantly positively predicts optimal walking speed. These results suggest sex-specific walking groups typical of living human populations may be the result of energy maximizing strategies. In addition, testable hypotheses of group strategies are put forth.

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Seasonal fluctuations in birth weight and neonatal limb length; does prenatal vitamin D influence neonatal size and shape?

Cited by 53 publications

References 49 publications

Seasonal variation of nutrient intake in pregnancy: effects on infant measures and possible influence on diseases related to season of birth

Seasonal variation of nutrient intake in pregnancy: effects on infant measures and possible influence on diseases related to season of birth

Season of birth is associated with anthropometric and neurocognitive outcomes during infancy and childhood in a general population birth cohort

Size and Shape: Morphology's Impact on Human Speed and Mobility

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