What Your Order of Birth Suggests
About Your Health Destiny
by www.SixWise.com
Children have long-been labeled as goal-setters, rebels or
spoiled risk-takers depending on their birth order, and some
people do, in fact, swear that you can predict
a person's personality according to whether they're a first
born, a middle child or the baby of the family.
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Oldest children have IQs that are, on average, three
points higher than their younger siblings'.
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Now here's something that's a bit more avant-garde: it may
also be able to predict your health.
According to "The Order of Health" in Prevention
magazine, here's what your birth order may predict about your
health.
The Oldest Child
Oldest children have an IQ that is, on average, three points
higher than their next youngest sibling, according to research
in Science. In turn, researchers from the University of Glasgow
found that children with higher IQs have a lower risk of heart
disease and certain cancers.
Meanwhile, oldest children are more likely to suffer from
allergies, eczema, hay fever and asthma, according to a review
of more than 50 studies. This may be because parents overprotect
their firstborns, which means they may be exposed to fewer
viruses and bacteria than their siblings.
There is also some evidence that firstborn males have an
increased risk of testicular cancer, perhaps because they're
exposed to more estrogen in utero.
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Middle children are the most likely to suffer from
low self-esteem, which can increase their risk of depression.
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The Middle Child
Middle children have healthy gums -- their risk of gum disease
is about 5 percent lower than their siblings'.
However, middle children -- who are stereotypically the "overlooked"
children -- tend to have lower self-esteem, which can lead
to depression. Middle-born kids also have a slightly higher
risk of suffering from chronic fatigue syndrome than their
siblings.
The Youngest Child
Youngest children have a lower risk of allergies, perhaps
because their immune systems got a workout from all of their
older siblings' germs. Children who grow up with older siblings
are also 10 percent less likely to develop Hodgkin's disease
than only children, according to Italian researchers.
The risk to the youngest child comes largely in the form
of accidents and preventable diseases. For instance, youngest
kids go through puberty about three months earlier than their
siblings, and this early
puberty can increase their risk-taking behavior, leading
them to try things like sex or cigarettes.
What Else Does Your Time of Birth Impact?
Researchers are just beginning to scratch the surface of
how your birth order, birth month and birth season can impact
your future personality and health. But here are a couple
of interesting things to know:
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Children
who were conceived in June, July or August have, on
average, test scores for math and language that are 1
percent to 1.5 percent lower than scores of kids who were
conceived during other months.
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The month and season a woman is born affects when she'll
reach menopause. Specifically, women born in March
can expect to reach menopause the earliest, on average
at 48 years and 9 months, while October babies will reach
it the latest, at 50 years and 3 months.
But remember, while some researchers believe your birth order
is intricately intertwined with your personality, your health
and how you relate to the world, others think it's a long
shot. So, ultimately, your destiny may be in your hands, regardless
of your status as oldest, middle or youngest child.
Recommended Reading
Why
Babies Conceived in Summer Don't Do as Well in School
Food
Allergies Last Longer Than They Used To: Food Allergy Facts
You Need to Know
Sources
Prevention.com
The
New York Times June 21, 2007