A new study has just demonstrated the benefits of physical activity for pregnant women. This helps to better develop the brain of the newborn.
It is recommended that pregnant women do moderate physical exercise. This helps them to stay healthy and avoid pregnancy complications. According to a study byMontreal university (Canada) presented this November 10 at the 2013 Congress of the Society for Neuroscience, physical activity is also beneficial for the unborn baby.
124 electrodes on each baby’s head
The research team asked a group of 6 women to do moderate exercise during the first 12 weeks of their pregnancy. They were physically active for a minimum of 20 minutes, three times a week. The other group of women remained sedentary. Active women exercised on average for 117 minutes per week compared to 12 minutes for the second group.
When babies were 8 to 12 days old, their brain activity was measured using an electroencephalogram. “We placed 124 flexible electrodes on each baby’s head, then we waited for him to fall asleep in his mother’s arms,” explains Elise Labonté-Lemoyne, author of the study. “The results show that the brain activation system is more mature in babies whose mothers were physically active during pregnancy, suggesting that their brains have developed faster than those of others. “
A more active brain
Brain activity varies less in children born to active mothers than in those in the second group. This means, according to the researchers, that the brains of babies in the first group are more alert. The team also notes higher activity in areas that involve memory, language and speech.
“Our research indicates that exercise during pregnancy improves fetal brain development,” says Prof. Dave Ellember who led the study. “This is the first randomized clinical trial performed with humans to objectively measure the direct effect of exercise during pregnancy on the fetal brain. […] We are optimistic that this finding will inspire women to change their habits, since just exercising during pregnancy could change their child’s future. “Not all sports are obviously within the reach of pregnant women: contact sports, for example, are strongly discouraged.
The British public health system, the NHS, points out that this study has not yet been approved by other researchers and that it applies to a very small group (12 women). Moreover, a single analysis of brain activity is not enough to predict better brain development. Researchers at the University of Montreal are aware of this: they specify in a press release that they are currently analyzing the cognitive, motor and language development of babies in order to check whether this gap is maintained between the two groups.
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