Exercise during pregnancy modulates infant cellular and whole-body adiposity

Area of Science:

• Reproductive biology and developmental science
• Exercise physiology and metabolic health
• Perinatal medicine and public health

Background:

• Rising rates of intergenerational obesity necessitate effective non-pharmaceutical interventions.
• Understanding the impact of maternal lifestyle on infant adiposity is crucial for early intervention.
• Prenatal exercise is a potential strategy to mitigate offspring obesity risk.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate if in utero exposure to varying doses of maternal exercise during pregnancy reduces infant cellular and whole-body adiposity.
• To determine the dose-dependent relationship between prenatal exercise and infant fat accumulation.

Main Methods:

• Pregnant women engaged in supervised exercise training for approximately 24 weeks (assessed from 16 to 36 weeks gestation).
• Umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) were differentiated and stained for lipid content (Oil Red O).
• Infant body composition and subscapular skinfolds were measured at 1 month of age; statistical analyses included ANCOVA and Pearson correlations.

Main Results:

• Maternal exercise during pregnancy significantly decreased lipid accumulation in infant MSCs (p=0.01) and infant body fat percentage (p=0.009), regardless of exercise dose.
• Higher total exercise volume correlated negatively with infant body fat percentage (R²=0.31, p=0.02) and subscapular skinfolds (R²=0.30, p=0.02).
• Weekly exercise duration was associated with reduced adipogenic MSC lipid accumulation (R²=-0.23, p=0.03) and infant body fat percentage (R²=-0.15, p=0.01).

Conclusions:

• In utero exposure to maternal exercise interventions effectively reduces both cellular and whole-body adiposity in infants.
• The observed reduction in infant adiposity demonstrates a dose-dependent effect of prenatal exercise.
• These findings support prenatal exercise as a viable strategy to combat the intergenerational cycle of obesity.