THURSDAY, July 19 (HealthDay News) -- You may think of your
birthday as only being important to your age and the possible
presence of candles, cards and cake, but a new study suggests a
link between your month of birth and longevity. Researchers
found that those who were born between September and November
from the years 1880 to 1895 were more likely to reach the
100-year mark than their siblings who were born in March. The
study does not prove a cause-and-effect link, just an
association. The meaning of the findings is unclear, and a
researcher who studies lifespan called them mostly irrelevant to
modern times. But, Leonid Gavrilov, from the Center on Aging at
the University of Chicago, who wrote the study with his wife,
Natalia Gavrilova, said the findings point to the importance of
the environment in which a child is conceived and later grows.
"We believe that avoiding any potential sources of damage to
developing fetus and child may have significant effects on
health in later life and longevity," Gavrilov