Abstract
The prevalence of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is increasing worldwide, and a further increase is expected in the coming years. One of the common risk factors for GDM is reduced physical activity (PA), leading to impaired glycemic control and increased insulin resistance (IR). Hence, the objective of the study was to determine the effects of PA intervention on IR and appendicular body composition in individuals with GDM. After screening 135 participants, 52 were included based on the selection criteria. The eight-week PA intervention and an educational booklet with information about GDM and PA intervention were administered to the participants. A detailed analysis of the outcome measures was conducted at baseline and postintervention, including Homeostatic Model Assessment for Insulin Resistance (HOMA-IR) and appendicular body composition via body impedance analysis. There was a significant decrease in the HOMA-IR value (MD = 0.123, p < 0.05) and upper extremity (MD = 0.4, p < 0.05), and lower extremity (MD = 0.12, p < 0.05) fat mass‒muscle mass index. The eight-week PA intervention effectively improved insulin resistance and the appendicular body composition among pregnant women with GDM.
Data availability
The authors confirm that the data supporting the findings of this study will be available on request by contacting the corresponding author (Dr. G Arun Maiya, [arun.maiya@manipal.edu](mailto: arun.maiya@manipal.edu) ).
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Open access funding provided by Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal
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Savni Apte: Data curation, writing, and reviewing the original draft. Dr. G Arun Maiya: Conceptualization, methodology, and writing and reviewing the original draft. Dr. Preetha Ramachandra: Formal analysis, validation, supervision, writing, and reviewing the original draft. Dr. Shyamala Guruvare: Methodology, visualization, and resources, writing and reviewing the original draft. Dr. Shashikala K Bhat: Project administration and resources, writing and reviewing the original draft. Dr. Saritha Kamath U: Resources, writing, and reviewing.
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The study was commenced after obtaining ethical approval from the Institutional Ethics Committee (IEC1: 86/2022).
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Apte, S., Ramachandra, P., Guruvare, S. et al. Effect of physical activity intervention on insulin resistance and appendicular body composition in gestational diabetes mellitus. Sci Rep (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-35036-0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-35036-0
