UNDER THE WEATHER

THE health concerns worsened by cold weather. This week: Risk of postnatal depression increases WOMEN who enter the third trimester of pregnancy during winter have a 30 per cent higher risk of postnatal depression than those who reach the same point during summer, according to a study published in the Journal of Behavioural Medicine.

The researchers suspect the increased risk is related to lower light exposure caused by shorter, darker days — whether this is to do with lowered vitamin D levels or that light exposure raises mood is still unknown. However, they suggest that pregnant women take a vitamin D supplement (10mcg is the NHS advice) and get out in daylight hours regularly. ‘Daily walks in the daylight might be more effective in improving mood than walking on a treadmill at the gym,’ says lead researcher Deepika Goyal, of San Jose State University in the U.S.