Exercise Habits Studied

University of Auckland researchers have compared the exercise habits of 84 first-time mothers in a study which has shown that exercise during pregnancy may help babies start life at a healthy weight. The women who exercised participated in stationary cycling five times a week for 40 minutes. Those women gave birth to babies that were, on average, three to five ounces lighter than the babies of the non-exercisers. “Given that large birth size is associated with an increased risk of obesity, a modest reduction in birth weight may have long-term health benefits for offspring by lowering this risk later in life,” the lead author of the paper, Dr Paul Hofman said. The study was released online in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.