Volume Of Exercise During Pregnancy Influences Offspring Health Biomarkers

Exercise training reduces the risk of cardiometabolic diseases throughout the life span. Exercise is recommended during pregnancy as it improves offspring health biomarkers such as body composition and may decrease the risk of cardiometabolic disease later in life. However, the influence of frequency, duration, and intensity of prenatal exercise on offspring biomarkers has not been studied. PURPOSE: To assess the association of maternal exercise frequency, duration, and intensity on offspring body composition and blood chemistry. METHODS: Pregnant women (n = 30) were exercise trained (aerobic-AE, resistance-RE, or combination-CE) for ~24 weeks until delivery. After delivery, neonate birth weight and BMI were measured. One-month infant blood was collected and processed for lipids, glucose, and lactate. Infant weight and height were measured for calculation of BMI, and body fat % was estimated from 3 site skinfolds, taken in duplicate. Pearson correlations assessed relationships between prenatal exercise frequency, intensity, and type; neonate and infant body size and composition; and infant blood chemistry. The data was further analyzed, stratified by pre-pregnancy BMI (healthy weight, HW vs. Overweight/Obese, OW/OB) and exercise type. RESULTS: Exercise frequency was positively correlated with birth BMI and infant HDL. When stratified by pre-pregnancy BMI, frequency correlated negatively with TC and LDL in HW. Exercise duration was related to reduced birth weight in OW/OB, and total exercise throughout pregnancy increased birth BMI. When stratified by exercise type, frequency of AE was positively correlated with birth BMI and infant HDL. RE volume was positively associated with infant BMI, with total exercise duration (weeks) positively correlated with infant lean body mass. Finally, CE volume was associated with reduced infant body fat % and skinfold sum, and positively associated with lean body mass. CONCLUSIONS: Maternal exercise throughout pregnancy benefits infant health, especially in offspring of OW/OB participants. We show volume- and type-specific effects of exercise on offspring health, which promote discrete exercise regimens. The significance of these relationships should be further studied, as clinicians continue to encourage maternal exercise during pregnancy.