Child’s Immune System Development Depends on the Month of Birth

The scientists from Britain have found that the levels of Vitamin D in the human body and the nature of immunity of the children, who have just been born, are different and depend on the month in which the baby was born.

Around one hundred thousand people in the UK suffer from multiple sclerosis. This disease makes the human immune system damage the CNS (central nervous system). As a result, the body and the brain have difficulty in transmitting signals to each other. Unpleasant hearing problems appear; muscle tone, memory and vision aggravate. The researchers believe that the cause of this disease is genetic, but it can also be due to the person’s environment.

Previously, the researchers noted in some studies that the month when the child was born, could have a significant impact on the possibility of multiple sclerosis. In England, for example, the peak month is May, and November demonstrates minimal results in terms of this disease.

Since vitamin D is produced in the body only when the skin is exposed to the sun rays, the scientists interpreted the effect of the time of birth as an absolute proof that the effects of vitamin D during pregnancy played a huge role in the possible development of multiple sclerosis.

During the study, the scientists compared the umbilical cord blood of a hundred infants, born in London in the period from May to November in 2010. The indicators of self-activating T-cells and vitamin D were detected in the blood. It is this type of leukocytes that plays a critical immune response role. This type identifies and removes viruses and other infections. However, some cells may attack the body cells, and it leads to some autoimmune diseases. Such cells must be neutralized by the immunity.

During the experiments, researchers have found that the babies born in May had approximately twenty percent less vitamin D if compared with November babies, and the levels of harmful T-cells were almost twice higher.