Exercise During Pregnancy Is More Beneficial For Baby Boys

Pregnancy is an important time to keep up with an exercise routine. Yet did you know that exercise may be more beneficial for baby boys more than girls?

Researchers studied rats who exercised moderately during pregnancy, studying their offspring, and found that they were significantly less likely to develop type-2 diabetes.

For the study, female rats were fed a high fat diet that included pies, cakes and biscuits throughout a six-week period before mating and during gestation and lactation.

Half underwent voluntary exercise that was introduced 10 days prior to mating. Yet the other were available until their offspring were delivered, while others remained sedentary.

Findings revealed that both male and female offspring in the exercise groups were healthier and that the males seemed to receive significantly more benefits than the females.

"Maternal exercise appeared to decrease the metabolic risk induced by maternal obesity, limiting fat deposits around the abdomen in the offspring and improving their insulin and glucose metabolism during the lactation window," Professor Margaret Morris, Head of Pharmacology from the School of Medical Sciences, said in a news release. "Maternal exercise significantly improved male offspring's insulin and glucose metabolism whereas female offspring showed only modest improvements.

"As to why male offspring seem to benefit more than females from the positive effects of exercise during pregnancy, that's a mystery that we hope to solve with further research," she added. "While this study was conducted in rats, the findings are a useful addition to the existing body of evidence that points to the importance of both diet and exercise for pregnant women to ensure the future health of their baby."

The findings are published in the journal PLOS ONE.