People conceived in cold months are less likely to gain weight, scientists found

Children conceived during the cold season have significantly higher chances of maintaining a slim figure throughout their lives due to increased activity of "beneficial" brown fat. This sensational discovery was made by researchers from the Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine. The results of the scientific work were published in the prestigious scientific journal Nature Metabolism.

During the large-scale study, scientists carefully analyzed data on weight and body composition of 683 healthy volunteers ranging in age from three to 78 years. Specialists used advanced diagnostic methods - positron emission tomography and infrared spectrometry - to assess the distribution and activity of adipose tissue in participants. The results were striking: people conceived between October and April demonstrated lower body mass index, less visceral fat, and significantly increased ability for overall fat burning.

Researchers proposed a scientific explanation for this phenomenon. Brown adipose tissue, unlike white tissue, performs critically important functions in the body - it preserves heat and protects against insulin resistance. The scientific work showed that conception under conditions of mild cold stress, characteristic of the winter period, significantly increases the activity of this tissue. In contrast, people conceived during summer months show significantly less brown adipose tissue activity.

According to scientists, environmental conditions at the moment of conception can influence gene expression in the parents' reproductive cells. This subsequently affects the body's sensitivity to cold and the characteristics of its metabolic processes. This phenomenon represents a vivid example of epigenetic adaptation, which forms even before a person's birth and accompanies them throughout their life.