Exercise During Pregnancy May Improve Offspring's Vascular Health

A research found that exercising moderately during pregnancy can prove beneficial for the vascular health of the offspring in adulthood.

Exercising for half an hour is recommended for pregnant mothers, which does not necessarily have to be done daily. But some physicians are doubtful of the health benefits of exercises for the mother and the fetus.

This research sheds light on the fact that exercising can impact the vascular health of the unborn baby and can have future implications on its heart health in adult life.

"Our study was the first to demonstrate that maternal exercise during pregnancy significantly impacts vascular function in adult offspring," Dr. Sean Newcomer, of California State University San Marcos USA, and Dr. Bahls, of Universitätsmedizin Greifswald, Germany stated in a press release. "A second important aspect of the findings in our study is that previous research identified the endothelium, which is the single-cell layer lining all blood vessels, to be susceptible to foetal-programming interventions. Contrarily, we show that the vascular smooth muscle was significantly altered in adult offspring from exercise trained mothers."

The study was conducted on pigs as they portray human-like responses to physical activity and were easy to train for carrying out the entire workout schedules.

"Swine are considered a superior animal model for cardiovascular studies compared to rodents. Pregnant swine were treadmill exercised for 20-45 minutes for five days a week, which is consistent with American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (ACOG) recommendations. We assessed vascular function in offspring femoral arteries using in vitro techniques," Dr. Newcomer and Dr. Bahls said.

The researchers' aim is to put forward verified guidelines for pregnant women. They claim that biological understanding of humans and knowing how to perk it up is crucial.

"We are only starting to understand how exercise during gestation influences offspring adult health and disease. Results like ours may help to create guidelines enabling women to make the best decisions for them and their children by providing evidence based health choices," Dr. Newcomer and Dr. Bahls said.

"Physical activity may act through multiple pathways which depend on type, duration, intensity and frequency of the exercise regimen. Furthermore, it is essential that future research investigates the coronary circulation and also establishes what impact these reported changes in vascular function in the offspring have on cardiovascular disease susceptibility," they concluded.