Aurora magazine

A new study confirms that exercising during pregnancy reduces the risk of obesity in children. Children exposed to prenatal sport gain less weight on average, even when they eat high-fat foods. This benefit is also valid for mothers with obesity problems, a delicate situation even for the child. This means that some sports during pregnancy are always beneficial, unless otherwise indicated by the doctor.

Researchers have studied the effects of exercise on metabolism. To this end, they analyzed a group of obese and non-obese pregnant guinea pigs. Some of these did 60 minutes of moderate exercise every morning during pregnancy. Others have led a sedentary lifestyle, acting as a control group. After giving birth, the researchers compared the two groups of puppies.

The young whose mothers had been exercising had high levels of proteins associated with brown adipose tissue. Unlike traditional adipose tissue, brown tissue converts fat and sugar into heat. The children in question had in fact a higher average body temperature, with positive effects on the metabolism. Later, the two groups followed a high-fat diet for eight weeks. Sports group mice gained less weight, with even less negative health consequences.

Source: experimentalbiology.org

Smoking during pregnancy can lower levels of oxygen in the uterus, with negative consequences for the fetus. This could also include fertility problems later in life, according to researchers at the University of Cambridge.

A team exposed a group of pregnant guinea pigs to smoking and other factors that lower the levels of oxygen to the fetus. When the young arrived at adulthood, they also examined their fertility. The females had older ovaries and fewer available eggs than the average. As a result, they were also less fertile than peers who had received the right amount of oxygen.

Prenatal hypoxia is linked to several possible causes, including smoking. Others are living at high altitude, obesity, preeclampsia. Besides being risky in the short term, it also has important consequences for the long term. For example, it increases the risk of heart disease in adulthood. However, no one had ever examined the effects on the reproductive system.

Prenatal oxygen-free guinea pigs had fewer eggs. Furthermore, the telomeres of the ovarian tissues were much shorter than they should have been. As a result, the cells had a shorter life than the average and the oocytes lived less. Rats and humans have a similar reproductive system, so the discovery is easy to translate on humans. More research will be needed, but there is reason to believe that smoking during pregnancy reduces the productive life of the offspring. And maybe not just that.

Source: cam.ac.uk

Prenatal exposure to large quantities of bisphenol A (BPA), even in levels considered "safe" by law, changes the circadian cycle. This is revealed by a study presented at the annual conference of the Endocrinology Society. According to the researchers, these changes could contribute to the hyperactivity of certain mice. The hypothalamus is an area susceptible to developmental problems caused by BPA.

Inside there is also the so-called biological clock, which regulates the daily rhythms of the whole organism. In utero exposure to the substance may hinder the correct development of the hypothalamus. This causes hyperactivity, probably due to an alteration in the circadian cycle. The researchers divided pregnant animals into two groups, one fed with normal food and the other with food contaminated with small doses of BPA. The young grew together for about 12 weeks, after which the researchers separated them and monitored their sleep-wake cycle for 4 months.

During this time, they measured their ability to adjust their pace based on the environment and stimuli. Babies exposed to bisphenol A were much more active than average, even during periods of time spent in the dark. Their circadian cycle soon disintegrated, as demonstrated by alterations in daily activities. This shows that it takes little BPA to alter the internal clock.

Source: www.endocrine.org

Gaining weight during pregnancy is completely normal. Women who are already very overweight, however, may wonder if this affects gestation. According to many studies the answer is yes. In the case of severe overweight or obesity, one wonders if losing weight during pregnancy is safe.

Rather than going on a diet, doctors advise taking the right nutrients and doing physical activity. In theory, in fact, we should lose weight before the gestation begins. Slimming diets over the course of nine months may be harmful to the child. It is true however that, in the case of obesity, the woman should not gain further weight. The fetus can in fact use body fat already present as an energy reserve.

When a woman does not gain weight from pregnancy, she is actually burning fat reserves. At the end of pregnancy, therefore, it should weigh less than at the beginning. This, however, without leading to a real diet, with weight loss during pregnancy. It is important that the future mother eats in a healthy and regular manner. At most, very overweight women may not need to increase their daily calorie intake.

A healthy diet and exercise are the best way to avoid gaining weight in pregnancy, in the case of obesity. Everything must always be done on the advice of your doctor, who will have to give instructions on the best activities for the future mother. Except in special cases, 30 minutes a day of walking will be just fine.

Source: medicalnewstoday.com