A latest evidence review suggested that healthy lifestyle choices during gestational period such as performing physical activities and eating well, can significantly minimise the risk of gestational diabetes by nearly 20%.
According to the findings published in The BMJ, exercise underscores the significance of incorporating these interventions into routine prenatal care.
Diabetes in pregnancy raises the risk of stillbirth, preterm birth, pre-eclampsia, and long-term health-related issues for both child and mother, including type 2 diabetes, and other diseases associated with diabetes such as cardiac disorders, and more.
For the study, scientists combined data from 104 previous studies involving nearly 36,000 women.
Results indicated that lifestyle changes, such as walking, muscle strengthening, swimming, and more, were found to be the most effective at reducing gestational diabetes risk.
Women participating in group-based programs with trained facilitators experienced better outcomes.
However, less-educated women received less benefits, indicating unequal access to support.
A professor of women’s health at the University of Liverpool Dr. Shakila Thangaratinam stated, “Lifestyle interventions in pregnancy are an achievable, evidence-based approach to improving maternal and offspring health and should be supported through policy and practice.”
Furthermore, researchers highlighted that pregnancy is considered a great opportunity to enhance long-term health for infants and mothers.
lead researcher John Allotey stated, “By combining a large number of trials with detailed individual-level data, we identified not just whether lifestyle interventions work, but which elements make them most effective.”
