After studying more than 500 pregnant women, a group of Spanish researchers has found that exercising during pregnancy reduces the risk of having babies with a higher birth weight and giving birth by cesarean section.
Many pregnant women do not do any type of sport during pregnancy. This was demonstrated by a recent study from the University of Granada that indicated that 68 percent of women in condition do not exercise enough during pregnancy. Now, new research has revealed the consequences that this lack of physical exercise can have for the development of the baby.
According to the study developed by the universities of Granada, Politécnica de Madrid and Europea de Madrid and published in therevista British Journal of Sports Medicinepracticing moderate exercise three times a week during the second and third trimesters of pregnancy cuts the risk of having babies weighing more than 4 kilos by half, known as macrosomia. And as a direct consequence, it also reduces the chances that the delivery will finally occur by cesarean section.
To reach this conclusion, the researchers analyzed the behavior of 510 pregnant women who admitted to doing less than 20 minutes of exercise three days a week.The intervention group was asked to carry out a training programIt consisted of 55 minutes of aerobic exercise, muscle stretching and flexibility exercises, three days a week, from weeks 10-12 to 38-39 of pregnancy. The control group received the usual care and recommendations. After the training program, it was observed that the risk of developing gestational diabetes mellitus was not reduced, but it did reduce two of the greatest risks associated with it: macrosomia (which was reduced by 58 percent) and childbirth due to cesarean section (which decreased by 34 percent).
This study highlights the importance of physical activity during pregnancy, just as other studies on diet had previously shown the benefits of the Mediterranean diet.
