Healthy pregnant women, with the consent of their doctors, should regularly do moderate intensity exercises, as according to Science Daily, the physical activity may improve the offspring's healthy vascular function from childhood to adulthood.
Dr. Sean Newcomer of California State University, together with Dr. Bahls of Universitätsmedizin Greifswald Germany, trained several pregnant pigs to exercise on a treadmill for 20 to 45 minutes five days a week.
Upon reviewing the results, they found “that maternal exercise during pregnancy significantly impacts vascular function in adult offspring," Newcomer and Bahls explain. "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."
While the study recommends healthy pregnant women to spend 30 minutes doing moderate physical exercise, it’s also important for them to consult their doctor about it, too.
(Photo by pixydust8605 via Flickr Creative Commons)
