Pregnant women who exercise during first trimester less likely to develop gestational diabetes

Gestational diabetes poses a major health risk to pregnant women and their foetuses, leading to delivery complications. However, moderate exercise can help reduce your risk.
gestational diabetes during pregnancy
Regular walking can help you control the incidence of gestational diabetes during pregnancy. Image courtesy: Shutterstock
ANI Updated: 30 Oct 2023, 15:54 pm IST
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As wonderful as pregnancy is for a woman, it is also a time that makes her vulnerable to several disorders—like gestational diabetes. Gestational diabetes is a condition in which the blood sugar levels are higher than normal during pregnancy, despite no history of diabetes. When left untreated, it can lead to pregnancy loss and stillbirth.

Thankfully though, there is a way to keep gestational diabetes at bay. A study from the University of Tennessee founds that pregnant women who exercise more during the first trimester of pregnancy may have a lower risk of developing gestational diabetes.

The study has been led by Samantha Ehrlich, an assistant professor in the Department of Public Health at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and adjunct investigator with the Kaiser Permanente Division of Research.

The analysis found that lower risk was associated with at least 38 minutes of moderate intensity exercise each day—a bit more than current recommendations of at least 30 minutes a day five days a week.

Gestational diabetes also increases future risk for diabetes in both mother and child.

Gestational diabetes
Keep a check on your sugar levels during pregnancy. Image courtesy:
Moderate exercise is the key to keeping gestational diabetes away

“We know that exercise is safe and beneficial for healthy pregnant women. These results show that exercise is helpful in avoiding gestational diabetes, though you might need to do a little bit more than currently recommended to enjoy that benefit,” Ehrlich said.

The observational study was based on women’s self-reported levels of exercise during their first trimester of pregnancy. It found that exercising at least 38 minutes per day lowered the risk of gestational diabetes by 2.1 cases per 100 women and the risk of abnormal blood sugar by 4.8 cases per 100 women.

Gestational diabetes
Gestational diabetes can be problematic for you and your baby. Image courtesy: Shutterstock

“We know that six to 10 women per 100 get gestational diabetes. If being more active could reduce that by two women per 100, that’s a clear benefit,” Ehrlich said.

The study, published December 21 in the journal Diabetes Care, analyzes data collected for the Pregnancy Environment and Lifestyle Study (PETALS), a longitudinal study that included a physical activity questionnaire from 2,246 pregnant members of Kaiser Permanente Northern California. The women in the study were racially and ethnically diverse and of a wide range of pre-pregnancy weight classifications.

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