Expectant mothers who engage in physical activity during pregnancy may decrease their child’s risk of developing diabetes and other metabolic diseases later in life.
- Conducted on mice, the study shows that parental obesity predisposes children to diabetes and metabolic diseases.
- However, the practice of regular physical activity during pregnancy can prevent its predispositions, induced by an epigenetic modification.
During pregnancy, more than ever, physical activity is recommended. Not only good for morale and for reducing the risk of pregnancy complications and premature delivery, exercising is also good for the health of the unborn baby.
This is underlined by a study by the University of Virginia (United States) published in the Journal of Applied Physiology. Conducted on mice, it shows that physical exercise during pregnancy would reduce the risk of transmission of metabolic diseases such as diabetes from an obese parent to the child, whether it is the father or the mother.
“It is known that most of the chronic diseases we are talking about today have a fetal origin. This means that the poor health conditions of the parents before and during pregnancy have negative consequences on the child, potentially through chemical modification of genes“says researcher Zhen Yan, a medical doctor and senior exercise expert at the University of Virginia School of Medicine. He explains that the new work is based on previous research on mice, which showed that the Regular aerobic exercise for an obese mother before and during pregnancy could protect the child from the early onset of diabetes. “In this study, we asked the following questions: what happens if an obese mother exercises only during pregnancy, and if the father is obese?”
A risk of hyperglycemia
To answer this question, the researchers studied laboratory mice and their offspring. The rodents were divided into two groups: a first group receiving a healthy food, and the other receiving a food rich in fats and calories to simulate obesity. Some mice given the high-fat diet before mating had access to a voluntary running wheel only during pregnancy, where they could run as much as they wanted, while others did not, and therefore remained sedentary.
According to the researchers, the results were “striking”, since mothers and fathers in the high-fat group could predispose their offspring to metabolic disorders. In particular, male children of sedentary mothers on a high-fat diet were much more likely to suffer from high blood sugar and other metabolic problems as adults.
Avoid epigenetic modifications
To understand why, the researchers looked at the metabolism of offspring that became adults, as well as epigenetic changes in DNA. They found significant differences in metabolic health and activity of certain genes between different offspring groups. This suggests that the negative effects of parental obesity persist throughout the lives of offspring.
However, the work shows that maternal exercise performed only during pregnancy prevented a whole series of “epigenetic” changes that affect the functioning of genes in the offspring. The researchers therefore believe that maternal exercise completely blocks the negative effects of obesity of the mother or father on the offspring.
“The take-home message is that it’s not too late to start exercising if a mother ends up pregnant. Regular exercise will benefit not only pregnancy and childbirth, but also health. long-term baby healthconcludes Dr. Yan.
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