Abstract
Adipose tissue and adipokine concentrations change markedly during pregnancy, but the effects of physical activity on these changes are rarely studied. We aimed to assess physical activity levels in pregnant women of normal-weight (NW) or with obesity (OB), and to determine the relation with changes in fat mass and adipokines. In each trimester, pregnant women (136 NW, 51 OB) were interviewed about their physical activity and had their body composition, leptin, soluble leptin receptor (sOB-R) and adiponectin determined. NW reported higher activity and more aerobic exercise than OB during early pregnancy. Both groups maintained training frequency but reduced overall activity as pregnancy progressed. NW women reporting aerobic and/or resistance exercise and OB women reporting aerobic exercise had greater sOB-R increases (independent of BMI or gestational weight gain). In NW, exercise also associated with lower fat mass and leptin increases. Higher activity levels associated with lower gestational weight gain in both groups. The relationship between physical activity and adiponectin differed between NW and OB. Maternal exercise may partly mediate its beneficial effects through regulation of leptin bioavailability, by enhancing pregnancy-induced increases in sOB-R. This could be of particular importance in OB with pre-gestational hyperleptinemia and leptin resistance.
Highlights
Adipose tissue and adipokine concentrations change markedly during pregnancy, but the effects of physical activity on these changes are rarely studied
Maternal risks include gestational diabetes, hypertension/pre-eclampsia, adverse obstetric outcomes, and post-pregnancy weight retention, whereas the fetus is at higher risk of being born large-for-gestational age (LGA) and of later life obesity, metabolic syndrome and diabetes
Even though pregnant women receive guidelines for optimal gestational weight gain in combination with dietary and physical activity advice, a large proportion of women gain more weight than the guidelines set by the Institute of Medicine (IOM)[3]
Summary
Adipose tissue and adipokine concentrations change markedly during pregnancy, but the effects of physical activity on these changes are rarely studied. Maternal exercise may partly mediate its beneficial effects through regulation of leptin bioavailability, by enhancing pregnancy-induced increases in sOB-R This could be of particular importance in OB with pre-gestational hyperleptinemia and leptin resistance. Abbreviations IOM Institute of Medicine LGA Large for gestational age NW Women of normal weight OB Women with obesity PONCH Pregnancy Obesity Nutrition and Child Health SGPALS Saltin-Grimby physical activity level scale sOB-R Soluble leptin receptor T1–T3 Trimesters 1–3. Both a high pre-gestational BMI and excess gestational weight gain affect maternal as well as fetal health outcomes[1,2]. Current guidelines recommend a minimum of 150 min moderate intensity exercise per week and 2–3 resistance training sessions per week[5,6]
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