Seasonal diabetes.

CHILDREN may be more likely to develop diabetes in the winter than the summer, according to new findings.

The trend was uncovered by a worldwide study looking at data on 31,000 children under the age of 15 in 53 countries. It had a significant effect in 42 out of 105 centres, 28 of which saw new cases of insulin-dependent diabetes peak between October and January.

In 33 centres incidence rates dipped to their lowest level during the summer months between June and August.

Study leader Dr Elena Molchanova, from the National Institute for Health and Welfare in Helsinki, Finland, said: "Numerous reasons have been suggested for the apparent seasonality of the onset of Type 1 diabetes. "These include a seasonal variation in people's levels of blood glucose and insulin, seasonal viral infections, the fact that young people tend to eat more and do less physical activity during winter."

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