Maternal Physical Activity and Health Outcomes
Summary
Maternal physical activity is increasingly recognised as a key modifiable behaviour that shapes both immediate and long-term health trajectories for women and their offspring. Regular engagement in exercise before and during pregnancy supports appropriate gestational weight gain, reduces the incidence of gestational diabetes mellitus, and maintains cardiovascular fitness. It also mitigates sedentary behaviour, lowering systemic inflammation and dyslipidaemia while improving glucose regulation. Recent evidence indicates that maternal exercise enhances fetal development through optimised placental function, improved uteroplacental blood flow and enriched nutrient delivery, with potential benefits for offspring neurocognitive maturation. Furthermore, early-life exposure to maternal activity may programme metabolic resilience via epigenetic modification and increased mitochondrial biogenesis. These insights underscore the global importance of integrating tailored exercise guidance into antenatal care to promote maternal well-being and foster positive child health outcomes.
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Maternal Physical Activity and Health Outcomes publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in maternal physical activity and health outcomes across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM): A state of glucose intolerance first diagnosed during pregnancy that poses health risks to mother and child.
Epigenetic modification: Stable changes in gene expression patterns without alterations in the underlying DNA sequence, often involving DNA methylation or histone modifications.
Mitochondrial biogenesis: The process of generating new mitochondria within cells to enhance energy production and metabolic capacity.
Metabolic equivalent of task (MET): A unit measuring the energy cost of physical activities, where 1 MET represents the resting metabolic rate.
References
- Physical activity during pregnancy and baby brain development – The elephant in the consulting room. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews (2024).
- The effect of exercise during pregnancy on gestational diabetes mellitus in normal-weight women: a systematic review and meta-analysis. BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth (2018).
- The effects of vigorous intensity exercise in the third trimester of pregnancy: a systematic review and meta-analysis. BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth (2019).
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