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Birth season and vitamin D concentration in adulthood

Giuseppe Lippi1, Patrizia Bonelli1, Ruggero Buonocore1

  • 1Laboratory of Clinical Chemistry and Hematology, Academic Hospital of Parma, Parma, Italy.

Annals of Translational Medicine
|November 6, 2015
PubMed

Insights

Birth season impacts vitamin D levels. Individuals born in winter have lower vitamin D concentrations in adulthood, increasing deficiency risk compared to spring births.

Area of Science:

  • Endocrinology
  • Nutritional Science
  • Public Health

Background:

  • Emerging evidence links birth season to human development and disease susceptibility.
  • Vitamin D (25-hydroxyvitamin D) is crucial for numerous physiological processes.
  • Seasonal variations may influence long-term health outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between season of birth and adult serum vitamin D levels.
  • To determine if birth season predicts vitamin D status in adulthood.
  • To explore the relationship between sunlight exposure at birth and vitamin D concentration.

Main Methods:

  • Retrospective analysis of laboratory data from 11,150 adult outpatients.
  • Serum vitamin D levels (25-hydroxyvitamin D) were collected from January to December 2014.
  • Data stratified by birth season and analyzed for correlations.

Main Results:

  • Serum vitamin D levels were significantly lower in individuals born during winter compared to spring and summer.
  • Winter birth was associated with an 11% higher risk of vitamin D deficiency in adulthood.
  • Daily sunlight hours at birth independently predicted adult vitamin D concentration.

Conclusions:

  • Adults born in winter exhibit significantly lower serum vitamin D levels.
  • Birth season, particularly winter, is a predictor of lower vitamin D status in adulthood.
  • Sunlight exposure during the season of birth plays a role in long-term vitamin D levels.
Abstract

Keywords:
Vitamin Dbiological variabilitypreanalytical variabilityseasons

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