CHILDREN are fitter and stronger if they are born in the autumn, Essex University research has found.

Research leader Dr Gavin Sandercock said a boy born in November would run at least 10 per cent faster, jump 12 per cent higher and is 15 per cent more powerful than a child of the same age born in April.

The research, published in the International Journal of Sports Medicine, suggested higher Vitamin D levels from exposure to sunlight late on in pregnancy could be the cause.