Influence of Maternal Exercise on Maternal and Offspring Metabolic Outcomes

Epigenetic transmission of metabolic disease to an offspring increases their risk for development of metabolic disease later in life. With the increasing rates of obesity in women of child-bearing age it is critical to develop strategies to prevent perpetuating metabolic disease across generations. Maternal exercise during gestation imprints offspring metabolic phenotype, thus increasing their imperviousness to metabolic assaults later in life. In rodent models, maternal exercise before and during gestation leads to enhanced offspring glycemic control, mitochondrial bioenergetics, and lower adiposity, which decreases their risk for development of future metabolic disease. In humans, maternal gestational exercise decreases pregnancy complications and improves maternal and offspring metabolism on both the whole-body and the cellular level. Maternal exercise restores the obesity-induced metabolic derangements, restoring maternal and offspring metabolic phenotype. While unknown, different exercise modalities might have a differential effect, however, evidence remains scarce.