Fuse/Thinkstock(ESSEX, England) — Parents who want their kids to be star athletes might want to arrange it so that they’re born in the months of October or November.
That’s the advice of Dr. Gavin Sandercock of the Center for Sports and Exercise Science at Essex University in England.
An expert on children’s physical activity, Sandercock says that fall-born children have “a clear physical advantage” over their peers.
The study involved measuring the stamina, hand grip strength and lower body power of 8,550 boys and girls between the ages of 10 and 16.
Essentially, those born in October and November rated higher in the characteristics that make children good athletes such as heart and muscle strength and speed.
So what is it about the autumn months that give children a leg up on the playing field? The most plausible explanation, according to Sandercock and his team, is that pregnant women who are out in the summer months expose their babies to copious amounts of Vitamin D, which has known health benefits.
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