Exercise can Control Gestational Diabetes: Study

Simple cardio exercises can help pregnant women manage and control gestational diabetes, according to a study.

A team of researchers from the University of Western Australia's School of Sports Science, Exercise and Health and The School of Women and Infants' Health found that simple cardio exercises helps control diabetes in pregnant women.

For six weeks, experts looked at 40 women who were 28 weeks pregnant and diagnosed with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). These women were divided in two groups-a  group that was prescribed an hour of cardiovascular exercise like bicycling thrice a week and a control group that observed common lifestyle patterns. The blood glucose levels of all participants were daily recorded.

Rhiannon Halse, study author and researcher from the University of Western Australia, said in a news release, "Many women were very unsure about what exercise to do in pregnancy and what was safe. We thought if we could show that a home-based exercise program was beneficial for the management of GDM then that could be integrated into routine chat to the women."

At the end of the trial, it was found that participants who followed the tri-weekly exercise program had significant reduction in their blood glucose levels compared to those who never exercised. The study observed an hour of bicycling  every other day helped pregnant women maintain fitness and healthy dieting habits that resulted in improved mental health.

Halse added, 'These women didn't restrict their diet as much so those glucose changes which were beneficial on the back of having a bit more leeway with their diet. The control group's diet had to be stricter with their diet."

Gestational diabetes is more common among overweight women and according to the data by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention nearly 60 percent of the American women enter pregnancy above the normal weight. Almost 30 percent of these women develop type-2 diabetes during pregnancy. The agency recommends tests for screening diabetes between 24 and 28 weeks of pregnancy.

The authors said strict control of blood glucose levels during pregnancy can minimize the need to be placed under insulin therapy. They believe this research will motivate women to inculcate healthier eating and exercise habits to ward of the risks of GDM that ups the risk for heart diseases in later years.

The research will be published in the journal Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise.