Exercise During Pregnancy Decreases Risk of Gestational Diabetes

by | Apr 29, 2016 | 2015, Diabetes, Fitness and Exercise, Pregnancy and Lactation, Women's Health

Written by Greg Arnold, DC, CSCS. Review of studies shows that physical exercise during pregnancy decreased risk of diabetes mellitus by 31%.

Gestational diabetes is one of most frequent complications of pregnancy (1) and can be associated with more serious problems such as pre-eclampsia, preterm birth, and a higher frequency of induced C-section deliveries (2, 3). Gestational diabetes increases the risk of getting type 2 diabetes after pregnancy (4, 5) and also has long-term health consequences for offspring, including increasing their risk of becoming overweight or obese (6) and developing type 1 or type 2 diabetes later in life (7).

Now a research review (8) suggests regular exercise during pregnancy can significantly decrease the risk for gestational diabetes. In the review, researchers analyzed 13 different randomized controlled trials of 2,873 pregnant women and found that physical exercise programs during pregnancy decreased the risk of gestational diabetes mellitus by 31% (p = 0.009). What’s more, when the exercise program was performed throughout pregnancy, the risk reduction increased to 36% (p = 0.038).

Exercise ranged from 2 to 5 sessions per week. Each session lasted between 15 and 60 minutes and ranged from light to moderate intensity, with “intensity” being defined according to a measurement called the Borg scale (9) that measures perceived exertion, heart rate (10) and a measure of aerobic capacity called “VO2max” (11). The researchers did not discuss whether one type of exercise was superior to others but found “a combination of aerobic, toning, resistance, strength, and flexibility exercises” resulted in the greatest benefit.

For the researchers, “our study has important clinical and public health implications, because it provides support for the recommendation to advise mothers to engage in physical activity programs as an effective and safe strategy to experience healthier pregnancies because they will have less risk of gestational diabetes and they will avoid excessive weight gain and, as a consequence, improve the health status of their offspring.”

Source: Sanabria‐Martínez, G.,Garcia-Hermoso, A., Poyatos-Leon, R., Alvarez-Burno, C., Sanchez-Lopez, M., MartinezVizcain. “Effectiveness of physical activity interventions on preventing gestational diabetes mellitus and excessive maternal weight gain: a meta‐analysis.” BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics & Gynaecology 122.9 (2015): 1167-1174.

© 2015 Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists

Greg Arnold is a Chiropractic Physician practicing in Hauppauge, NY.  You can contact Dr. Arnold directly by emailing him at PitchingDoc@msn.com or visiting his web site at www.PitchingDoc.com.

References:

  1. American Diabetes Association. Gestational diabetes mellitus. Diab Care 2004;27 (Suppl 1):S88–90.
  2. Crowther CA, Hiller JE, Moss JR, McPhee AJ, Jeffries WS, Robinson JS. Australian Carbohydrate Intolerance Study in Pregnant Women (ACHOIS) Trial Group. Effect of treatment of gestational diabetes mellitus on pregnancy outcomes. New Engl J Med 2005;352:2477–86
  3. Landon MB, Spong CY, Thom E, Carpenter MW, Ramin SM, Casey B, et al. A multicenter, randomized trial of treatment for mild gestational diabetes. New Engl J Med 2009;361:1339–48
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  7. Canadian Diabetes Association Clinical Practice Guidelines Expert Committee. Clinical practice guidelines for the prevention and management of diabetes in Canada. Can J Diabetes 2003;27 (Suppl 2):S99–105
  8. Sanabria-Martı´nez G. Effectiveness of physical activity interventions on preventing gestational diabetes mellitus and excessive maternal weight gain: a meta-analysis . BJOG 2015 Jun 3. doi: 10.1111/1471-0528.13429. [Epub ahead of print]
  9. Borg G. Perceived exertion as an indicator of somatic stress. Scand J Rehabil Med 1970;2:92–8
  10. Hopkins S, Baldi JC, Cutfield WS, McCowan L, Hofman PL. Effects of exercise training on maternal hormonal changes in pregnancy. Clin Endocrinol 2011;74:495–500
  11. Barakat R, Ruiz JR, Stirling JR, Zakynthinaki M, Lucia A. Type of delivery is not affected by light resistance and toning exercise training during pregnancy: a randomized controlled trial. Am J Obstet Gynecol 2009;201:590.e1–6.