Pregnancy During Cold Weather May Lower Child's Risk of Obesity

Lower Obesity Rates When Conceived in Cold Seasons
"Father's Influence Greater Than Mother's"

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A study has found that the probability of obesity varies depending on the month of birth.

According to the British Daily Mail on the 7th (local time), researchers from the Graduate School of Medicine at Tohoku University in Japan analyzed 683 healthy men and women aged between 3 and 78 years and found that the likelihood of obesity differed according to the birth month.

The researchers reported that people born in September, October, and November tended to be slimmer and had less fat around their organs compared to those born in April and May. They analyzed that people who were conceived during the cold season had higher activity of brown adipose tissue (fat that burns calories to generate heat), increased energy expenditure, and lower body mass index (BMI). BMI is calculated by dividing one’s weight (kg) by the square of their height (m), with 23 and above classified as overweight and 25 and above as obese.

The researchers stated, "We divided the parents into those exposed to cold temperatures between October 17 and April 15, just before pregnancy, and those exposed to warmer temperatures between April 16 and October 16," adding, "The analysis showed that people who conceived during the cold season had higher activity of brown adipose tissue."

Furthermore, exposure to cold temperatures in fathers was more significant than in mothers. It is suggested that exposure to cold leaves signals in sperm that are transmitted at fertilization, triggering the development of embryos that better adapt to metabolism and cold temperatures.

Raffaele Teperino from the German Environmental Health Research Center commented on the study, saying, "The health of parents before and during pregnancy can affect the development and health of their children," and added, "Current human studies show that adults conceived during the cold season have greater brown adipose tissue activity, increased energy expenditure, and lower body mass index and visceral fat accumulation."