Research on Gestational Diabetes Mellitus (GDM) has become an integral part of diabetes care owing to the risk of its serious complications in the mother and fetus during and after pregnancy. A recent GDM related research from the University of Tennessee, USA and published in Diabetes Care journal had reported that exercise during the initial period of pregnancy can reduce the risk of GDM.

      The data for the study was extracted from the longitudinal Pregnancy Environment and Lifestyle Study (PETALS), and included self-reported data on exercise duration, in the form of physical activity. The cohort sample size was 2,246. The observational study also incorporated glucose testing results from electronic health records. The study found that exercising at a moderate intensity for at least 38 min/day reduced the risk of GDM by 2.1 cases/100 participants and the risk of abnormal blood sugar by 4.8 cases/100 participants.

      Exercise is known to be both safe and beneficial during pregnancy. The current recommendations propose an exercise duration of at least 30 min/day and five days per week. According to this study, a duration of at least 38 min/day was required to lower the risk of GDM. The findings from the study, hence suggest the revisal of the current daily recommended exercise duration of 30 minutes during pregnancy and its modification to ≥ 38 min/day, to reduce the risk of abnormal glucose screening and to improve chances of preventing GDM.