December Babies Live Longer Study Suggests

While most people look for genetic and lifestyle factors when attempting to determine how long a person will live, the notion of checking what month they were born in has previously been of little importance.

However, thanks to the findings of this new study, discovering when a person was born may be a key question in predicting their life expectancy.

A lot of people born in December bemoan the fact that they have to share a birthday month with Christmas, and how hard it can be to sort out a party due to how busy people are around Christmas.

So, hopefully, people born in December will be happy to know that they are, according to science, much more likely to live to be 105+ than people born in other months!

The study was carried out by Leonid A. Gavrilov and Natalia S. Gavrilova, with a team of boffins alongside them. The team analyzed a large sample of 100+-year-old people and investigated their birth-months then compared them to these people's family members and siblings who had not lived as long.

December came out as the month which by far produced the most people who lived to be 105+.

Apparently, those born in December also "tend to be nicer and healthier people," according to the Express.

They went on to explain that "a survey of college students in America revealed people born in December complain less than others and are less prone to mood swings."

There were many ideas as to what could cause the change in life expectancy depending upon birth month. The study suggested that environmental factors — such as, the amount of sunlight and vitamin D, or the temperature — during pregnancy could be what leads to potential health benefits in later life. The study concluded:

"The results of this study suggest that early-life environmental conditions may have long-lasting effects on human aging and longevity."

The study explains that "We found significant associations between month of birth and longevity: individuals born in September–November have a higher likelihood of becoming centenarians compared to March-born individuals."

So, September-November babies aren't doing too shabby in the life expectancy race either. March, however, was not looking at hopeful!

A separate study of 1,749,400 people from the United States suggested a link between December babies and a lower risk of cardiovascular disease. Medical Daily also claimed that the team had found links between month of birth and physical attributes such as stamina:

"Sandercock and his team of researchers found the November-born children had the most stamina and power and were the second strongest. Those born in the month of October wren almost as fit, scoring highest for strength and coming third for power, while December children closely followed."

According to information from the CDC, the most popular months for babies to be born are between the months of July to October. In particular, August is the single most popular. This is probably because around Christmas and New Year can be a romantic time of year! However, dreary March is much less romantic and so less likely to provide a lot of December births.

I'd take battling against Jesus for the birthday spotlight if it meant I was more likely to live to over 105! My birthday is in January, now that really sucks. Everyone is broke from Christmas and miserable cause the weather is terrible!

So, enjoy your busy December birthdays folks!

h/t: Express