Pregnancy, Exercise and Late Effects in the Offspring until Adult Age

Abstract

Maternal exercise during pregnancy as one of the critical periods can have significant delayed effect in the offsprring's fetal imprinting of future development until adult age; adequate and voluntary exercise is provided, not a forced one as a stress. Spontaneous physical activity of the offspring until adult age can be increased, and body composition, cardiac micro structure and reactibility (greater resistance to noxi), vasomotor function, glucose metabolism, insulin sensitivity along with related diseases (diabetes) can be positively influenced. Bone development and also the enhancement of brain function and learning sensitivity can be improved as revealed in a number of experimental model animal studies. Exercise during pregnancy was also shown to compensate in the offspring the detrimental effect of inadequate, e.g. high fat diets. Possibility of introducing significant modifications of the programming of the offspring's desirable development and health status by adequate and physiological maternal exercise during pregnancy was supported also by some observations in humans. Keywords IntroductionThe level of physical activity (PA) and exercise (Ex) is an important environmental stimulus which has significant effect on a number of metabolic, humoral, functional, morphological, psychological and other characteristics of the organism which can manifest not only at present, but also as delayed consequences when implemented since the very beginning of life. Such effects depend on the character, intensity, frequency, duration of PA régimes and/or Ex, and the reaction and consequences can be also further modified by eventual adaptation to them when applied gradually and repeatedly during appropriate periods of time. Increased physical fitness, reduced adiposity along with reduced metabolic, musculoskeletal and psychological problems can result from adequate exercise, especially when applied during growth [1,2]. On the other hand, sudden forced implementation of increased Ex can become a stress with undesirable results as revealed e.g. in experimental models [3,4,5].Previous studies on the impact of Ex which modifies significantly energy balance and turnover showed also that the earlier such a stimulus is implemented and the longer it lasts, the more apparent are its manifestations; the adequacy of such a stimulus is essential, and should always have a character as related to the level of development of the organism when Ex is started to be implemented. Moreover, this effect can appear and has a special character when applied through the régime of PA of the pregnant mother [3][4][5][6].Fetal origin hypothesis of morbidity [4,5,7,8,9] and metabolic imprinting by prenatal, perinatal and postnatal factors [6][7][8][9][10] concern also PA and Ex. Their impact can be transferred during pregnancy on the fetus due to physical activity régimes and reactive changes to them of the pregnant mother, and could manifest significantly in the offspring during its own postnatal period up to the adult age. The effect of PA ...