Exercise During Pregnancy Does Not Decrease Gestational Weight Gain but
Decreases Maternal Body Fat Gain- A Randomized Controlled Trial
Abstract
Objective: The objective of this study was to assess supervised
exercise training on gestational weight gain (GWG) and body fat gain
(BFG) in late pregnancy. Design: A randomized controlled trial.
Setting: East Carolina University. Sample: 3 exercise
types (aerobic n = 66, combination n = 48, or resistance n = 51) and
control group (n = 54). Methods: Exercise was conducted 3
times/wk from 16 weeks gestation until delivery. Main outcome
measures: GWG, BFG, and skinfolds measurements at 16 and 36 gestational
weeks. Analyses were performed using both intention-to-treat (ITT) and
per-protocol (>75% adherence). Results:
Per-protocol results show differences between groups for 16- to 36-week
change in maternal skinfold sum (0.02), body fat % (0.01) and fat free
mass % (0.02). Per-protocol results stratified for pre-pregnancy BMI
showed differences in healthy weight participants for changes in
maternal skinfold sum (0.01), body fat % (0.004) and fat free mass %
(0.01), and in overweight participants, from 16 to 36 weeks gestation,
we noted changes in skinfold sum (0.03), body fat (0.02) and fat free
mass (0.03). No differences were found for GWG between exercise groups
for both ITT and per-protocol analysis similarly, there were no
differences between healthy weight and overweight participants for
per-protocol analysis. Type of exercise (0.01) was a significant
predictor of change in fat free mass percentage (0.04) and BFG
percentage (R 2 0.03) from 16 to 36 weeks gestation.
Conclusions: Exercise during pregnancy effectively reduces
maternal body fat gain.