Cited by 121Birth, Development, and HealthGestational Diabetes Research and ManagementPancreatic function and diabetes

Maternal exercise improves insulin sensitivity in mature rat offspring

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CARTER, LINDSAY G., QI, NATHAN R., CABO, RAFAEL DE, PEARSON, KEVIN J.·2013·Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise

Abstract

PURPOSE: Recent findings have shown that the intrauterine environment can negatively influence long-term insulin sensitivity in the offspring. Here we look at maternal voluntary exercise as an intervention to improve offspring insulin sensitivity and glucose homeostasis. METHODS: Female Sprague-Dawley rats were split into sedentary and exercise groups with the exercise cohort having voluntary access to a running wheel in the cage before and during mating, pregnancy, and nursing. Female offspring were weaned into sedentary cages. Glucose tolerance tests and hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp were performed in adult offspring to evaluate glucose regulation and insulin sensitivity. RESULTS: Adult female offspring born to exercised dams had enhanced glucose disposal during glucose tolerance testing (P < 0.05) as well as increased glucose infusion rates (P < 0.01) and whole body glucose turnover rates (P < 0.05) during hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp testing compared with offspring from sedentary dams. Offspring from exercised dams also had decreased insulin levels (P < 0.01) and hepatic glucose production (P < 0.05) during the clamp procedure compared with offspring born to sedentary dams. Offspring from exercised dams had increased glucose uptake in skeletal muscle (P < 0.05) and decreased heart glucose uptake (P < 0.01) compared with offspring from sedentary dams in response to insulin infusion during the clamp procedure. CONCLUSIONS: Exercise during pregnancy enhances offspring insulin sensitivity and improves offspring glucose homeostasis. This can decrease offspring susceptibility to insulin-resistant related diseases such as type 2 diabetes mellitus. Maternal exercise could be an easy, short-term, nonpharmacological method of preventing disease in future generations.

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  • In general, the most significant effects of maternal exercise on offspring metabolic health are observed when maternal exercise begins before mating and is continued throughout pregnancy.

    “In general, the most significant effects are observed when maternal exercise begins before mating and is continued throughout pregnancy.”

    From Recent Experimental Studies of Maternal Obesity, Diabetes during Pregnancy and the Developmental Origins of Cardiovascular Disease (2022) · cites this paper as [131]

    The Methods describe exercise beginning 7–10 days before mating and continuing through pregnancy, and the Discussion reports improved insulin sensitivity in adult offspring. But the Discussion says studies comparing exercise timing are still needed; this study does not establish that this schedule produces the most significant effects. (LLM, conf=0.88)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
  • Using voluntary wheel running, maternal exercise improved glucose tolerance in both mouse and rat offspring, compared to the offspring of sedentary controls.

    “Using voluntary wheel running, maternal exercise improved glucose tolerance in both mouse and rat offspring, compared to the offspring of sedentary controls [131,132].”
  • Several groups have shown that enforced maternal treadmill exercise or voluntary wheel running had significant effects on the metabolic health of male and female offspring.

    “Several groups have shown that enforced maternal treadmill exercise or voluntary wheel running had significant effects on the metabolic health of male and female offspring [131,132,133,134,135,136].”

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Authors
CARTER, L. G., QI, N. R., CABO, R. D., & PEARSON, K. J.
Affiliations
  • University of Kentucky (US)
  • University of Michigan (US)
  • National Institutes of Health (US)
Venue
Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise
Published
2013-05
Volume
45
Issue
5
Pages
832-840
ISSN
0195-9131 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W2086857259
Cited by
121
References
42
Citations by year
2026: 9 · 2025: 6 · 2024: 2 · 2023: 12 · 2022: 9 · 2021: 9 · 2020: 12 · 2019: 9 · 2018: 6 · 2017: 11 · 2016: 10 · 2015: 11 · 2014: 11 · 2013: 4
FWCI
11.20
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (acceptedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
Funders
  • National Institutes of Health
  • National Institute of General Medical Sciences (T32GM008322)
  • National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (DK089503, T32DK007778, R01DK090460, DK-07778, P30DK020572, P30DK089503)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Pediatrics, Perinatology and Child Health › Birth, Development, and Health
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Obstetrics and Gynecology › Gestational Diabetes Research and Management
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Surgery › Pancreatic function and diabetes
Keywords
maternal physical activity, voluntary wheel running, insulin sensitivity, glucose homeostasis, offspring, pregnancy, intrauterine environment, glucose tolerance, hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp, hepatic glucose production, skeletal muscle glucose uptake, type 2 diabetes prevention, non-pharmacological treatment
MeSH terms
Animals, Body Composition, Body Weight, Female, Fetus, Homeostasis, Insulin Resistance, Physical Conditioning, Animal, Pregnancy, Glucose Clamp Technique, Rats, Sprague-Dawley, Rats

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