Exercise FITT-V in pregnancy with obesity: Preliminary findings for infant adiposity and intergenerational obesity risk

Abstract

Prenatal exercise decreases offspring adiposity, but it is uncertain whether this relationship is present in offspring exposed to obesity in utero. We aimed to determine whether exercise during pregnancy reduces infant cellular and whole-body adiposity in offspring born to women with obesity. This is a sub-analysis of a randomized controlled trial, where women were randomized to supervised exercise or control for ~24 weeks during pregnancy. Exercise FITT-V metrics (frequency, intensity, time, type, and volume) were collected. Infant mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) (healthy weight [n = 16], obesity [n = 21]) were adipogenically differentiated and stained for lipid content. Infant body composition was measured at 1 month of age via skinfold. Among women randomized to control, maternal BMI influenced infant adiposity; infants exposed to obesity had higher body fat percentage (p = 0.02). Birthweight was negatively correlated with infant body fat; offspring with lower birthweight had higher body fat (R2 = 0.38, p = 0.03). Maternal weekly exercise volume trended toward negative association with infant body fat (R2 = 0.33, p = 0.06) and lipid content (R2 = 0.21, p = 0.06). For infants born to women with obesity, exercise during pregnancy helps reduce adiposity.