Diet and Exercise in Pregnant Women Leads to Less Overweight Babies

In a study of obese and overweight pregnant women, a healthy diet and regular exercise during pregnancy was shown to lead not only to weight reduction in the mother, but in the baby as well.

Researchers from the University of Adelaide's Robinson Institute and the Women's and Children's Hospital examined more than 2,200 pregnant women from 2008 through 2011.

Results from the LIMIT Study, published in the British Medical Journal, show "that providing advice and assistance to adopt a healthy diet and regular exercise during pregnancy has led to an 18 percent reduction in the chance of a baby being born over 4kg (8.8 lbs)," according to a press release announcing the findings.

"This is a very important finding," said the lead author of the study, Jodie Dodd from the University's Robinson Institute and the Women's and Children's Hospital. "We know that babies who are born over 4kg have a two-fold increased risk of being overweight or obese as children, which often carries into later life, bringing with it a range of health concerns such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes. So we're pleased to see that the study has led to a significant reduction in the risk of a baby being born over 4kg."

Dodd said being overweight or obese during pregnancy is common, affecting as much as 50 percent of women. Prior to the study, there had been little evidence about the benefit of dietary and lifestyle interventions on clinical outcomes in this group of women.

"About half of the women who took part in the study were provided with dietary and lifestyle advice promoting healthy eating and exercise, consistent with current Australian recommendations. The remaining women continued to receive routine antenatal care," said the release.

"Our focus was on providing simple, practical lifestyle advice that is very achievable in the real world. It wasn't about going on a diet, but focused on healthy eating and increasing activity levels on a daily basis," Dodd said.

"There were no differences in the amount of weight women gained during pregnancy between the two study groups. It will be very important to look in more detail at the changes women have made to their diet and physical activity, and that will be the subject of a future paper," she concluded.