Could your birth month predict your risk of disease?

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Having a family history of disease means it is more likely that the disease will be hereditary, but did you know your birth month could play a factor as well?

According to a new study from Columbia University, people born in May have the lowest risk of disease while people born in October have the highest, CBS News reported.

Dr. Nicholas Tatonetti and his team created a computer algorithm to compare birth months with more than 1,600 medical conditions.

Tatonetti, an assistant professor of biomedical informatics at Columbia University Medical Center and Columbia’s Data Science Institute, used the birth dates of 1.7 million patients treated over 14 years in New York City and found 55 diseases that correlated with specific months.

Tatonetti also found a seasonal link between diseases: Individuals born in late winter and early spring had the highest increased risk of cardiovascular disease while those born in early fall had the highest risk of respiratory disease.

Although the study’s results were significant, Tatonetti said the risks are not necessarily that great compared to other variables.

“It’s important not to get overly nervous about these results because even though we found significant associations the overall disease risk is not that great,” he said. “The risk related to birth month is relatively minor when compared to more influential variables like diet and exercise.”