Michigan – Regular exercise during pregnancy could help your baby beat high blood pressure in later life, say researchers.
Mothers who stayed active – especially in the three months before giving birth – had children with significantly lower blood pressure at age ten, they found.
Surprisingly, even babies with a low birth weight, who are known to have a greater risk of high blood pressure, were better off.
“This told us that exercise during critical developmental periods may have more of a direct effect on the baby,” says lead author James Pivarnik, a kinesiology professor at Michigan State University in the US.
The study, published in the Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness, followed 51 women.
Those who got the recommended amount of exercise during pregnancy, or more, had children with significantly lower blood pressure – a key factor in cardiovascular health – at eight to ten years old.
Official guidelines recommend that pregnant women do 30 minutes of moderate exercise a day.
Daily Mail