Exercise During Pregnancy May Protect a Child from Developing Asthma

Women who exercise during pregnancy may be protecting their baby from developing asthma.

A new study finds moms-to-be who work out at least three times per week lower their child’s risk of asthma by 46%.

One researcher says, “We don’t yet know why maternal exercise manifests as a reduced risk of asthma in the child, but one possibility is that it supports fetal lung maturation.”

Researchers followed 963 mother-infant pairs from birth until the children were five-to-seven years of age. Even after adjusting for numerous health, lifestyle and environmental factors, the benefit of physical activity remained strong.

The lead investigator says until now avoiding cigarettes during pregnancy was one of the only ways to reduce childhood asthma risk. She says, “It is intriguing that moderate maternal exercise during pregnancy may have an equally strong protective effect.” 

Future studies may explore how different kinds of exercise may impact asthma risk.

Source: MED 

Author Affiliations: University of Eastern Finland, Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, Akershus University Hospital, University of Oslo, University of Helsinki, Kuopio University Hospital