Not exact matches
During pregnancy, women have many fears relating to the development and health of their babies, as well as some fears
regarding their own
weight gain, health, and parenting capabilities.
Although recommended for GDM treatment, guidelines do not specify the type of physical activity or its timing in
regards to meal intake.66 67 Aerobic and resistance exercise can be accomplished
during pregnancy in the absence of contraindications, 68 but motivation, compliance, perceived health and lack of time appear to be major limiting factors.48 69 A recent review concluded that physical activity, both aerobic and resistance exercise, may improve glycaemic control and / or limit insulin use in women with GDM.70 Regular physical activity can also limit
pregnancy weight gain, stabilise maternal mood and reduce fetal fat mass (FM) and physiological stress responses in the offspring.27 69 71
Regarding the child, the importance of the intrauterine and early postnatal environments for metabolic programming and modifications of the epigenome is increasingly recognised, 12 — 14 particularly for metabolic diseases such as obesity and diabetes.15 Thus, GDM is related to macrosomia at birth (> 4 kg), to excess body fat and (central) obesity and to insulin secretion in infants and children, the obesity being in part mediated by maternal body mass index (BMI) or birth
weight.16 — 23 Intrauterine exposure to GDM also doubles the risk for subsequent type 2 diabetes in offspring compared with offspring of mothers with a high genetic predisposition for type 2 diabetes, but with normal glucose tolerance
during the index
pregnancy.24 Maternal prepregnancy overweight and excessive gestational
weight gain also predict high birth
weight and adiposity
during infancy.12 25 This is highly relevant, as up to 60 % — 70 % of women with GDM are overweight or obese before
pregnancy.26 Finally, maternal lifestyle behaviour such as a high fat diet or lack of physical activity
during pregnancy can influence offspring adiposity independent of maternal obesity.12 27