Active Women Pass On The Love Of Exercise To Their Babies In The Womb

An interesting study shows that women who like to exercise during pregnancy get children who become active when they are adults.

In a study, researchers selected female mice that seemed to like to run, and then divided them into two groups. One of them got access to running wheels before and during the time that they were pregnant, while the other group did not get access.

"Our study in a mouse model is important because we can take all those effects out of the equation," said Robert A. Waterland, referring to the various different influences that impact humans. "We studied genetically identical mice and carefully controlled the amount of physical activity of the mothers before pregnancy."

Scientists found that female mice with the running wheels clocked about 10 kilometers of running every night, although the running reduced with the progress of pregnancy. Still, just when the third trimester began, they walked about three kilometers every night.

Babies of active mothers showed 50 percent more physically active lifestyles than the other babies of mothers who did not exercise. The spike in activity persisted right into later adulthood, and even helped them to lose fat in an exercise program.

"Although most people assume that an individual's tendency to be physically active is determined by genetics, our results clearly show that the environment can play an important role during fetal development," Waterland said.

Hence, active mothers tend to have active children.

"I think our results offer a very positive message," Waterland said. "If expectant mothers know that exercise is not only good for them but also may offer lifelong benefits for their babies, I think they will be more motivated to get moving."

The findings were published in the March 2016 issue of FASEB Journal.