Exercise prevents gestational diabetes (study)

The exercise prevents the appearance of gestational diabetes mellitus, a situation that is defined as any degree of glucose intolerance that appears or is detected for the first time during pregnancy.It has just been demonstrated by the Polytechnic University of Madrid and the Puerta de Hierro H University Hospital with 257 pregnant women.The latest estimates report a prevalence between 4 and 12% of the pregnant population.

Numerous studies warn of the complications of pregnancy in women with this condition, and this problem includes deterioration for the health of the mother, the fetus and even the newborn.There is even a dangerous association between gestational diabetes and metabolic and cardiovascular postnatal alterations for the subsequent life of mother and child.

The latest scientific evidence relate an adverse intrauterine environment from the metabolic point of view with complications such as overweight and childhood obesity.Chronic diseases before only seen in adults (hypertension, type 2 diabetes, asthma, apnea during sleep, musculoskeletal pain and gastrointestinal complications) are currently observing in children's population and, according to certain researchers, they seem to have their origin in a processof altered pregnancy.

Preventive guideline

Now, the experts of the Faculty of Sciences of Physical and Sports Activity (INEF) of the Polytechnic University of Madrid (UPM) and the Gynecology and Obstetrics Service of the Puerta de Hierro de Majadahonda University Hospital (Madrid) that they have carried out inStudy, demonstrate that an adequate preventive guideline is the best element to avoid the effects of this metabolic complication for the well -being of future populations.

Among the therapeutic elements to be used in the treatment of this disease increasingly becomes the use of physical exercise as an attractive, non -invasive intervention and with high probabilities of efficiency.The work has been published in "Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise."
The scientists carried out a randomized clinical trial that developed at the Torrelodones Health Center (Madrid).257 healthy pregnant women participated in the intervention: 101 of them were integrated into a physical exercise program immediately after their first prenatal ultrasound (10-12 week of pregnancy) until the end of it (week 38-40), while 156Women remained in the control group receiving the usual care throughout their pregnancy.

The exercise program consisted of three weekly sessions, two in the room and one in the municipal pool of the Madrid town, between 50 and 60 minutes of moderate aerobic exercise and conducted by an INEF professional and team researcher.

The results of the study show a significantly higher percentage of development of gestational diabetes mellitus in the control group (women who did not participate in the program) than the physical exercise group.While 13 cases of this type of diabetes were detected in the control group (13%) only one case was informed in the group that carried out exercises.

"These results open the doors to the use of moderate and supervised physical exercise in the prevention of gestational diabetes mellitus, whose social, health and economic consequences generate important concerns in the authorities," declare the authors.

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