Research presented at the Society for Endocrinology annual conference in Edinburgh has highlighted the link between depression, sedentary behaviour and risk of gestational diabetes (GDM) in pregnant women.
The study authors asked 1263 pregnant women to report on their level of physical activity and emotional wellbeing in the first trimester of pregnancy and then again in the late stages of the second trimester. Women who reported depressive symptoms were more likely to sit for long periods, even after adjustment for BMI, age and socioeconomic status. In turn, those who spent more time sitting down in the second trimester also performed less moderate or vigorous physical activity and gained significant amounts of weight between the first and second trimester. Finally, sedentary pregnant women were also found to have higher blood glucose levels around 28 weeks of gestation, putting them at higher risk of developing GDM.
These findings raise two issues: first, the need to provide early intervention to improve the mental health of women in pregnancy and, secondly, the need for UK guidelines on the appropriate amount and intensity of exercise that should be recommended to keep pregnant women healthy. Dr Nithya Sukumar (University of Warwick), the lead study author, said: “Pregnant women could benefit from early intervention to improve their physical and mental health and reduce the risks associated with sedentary behaviour.
“Gestational diabetes can increase the risk of birth complications for the mother and baby and so it is important we minimise this risk by reducing the time that pregnant women spend sitting down.”
Fellow researcher, Dr Ponnusamy Saravanan, said: “Encouraging women to take breaks from sitting down might be an easier public health policy to implement than increasing their physical activity during pregnancy. We believe reducing the sitting time has the potential to reduce pregnant women’s risk of gestational diabetes and reduce the metabolic risk factors of their newborns.”
More information on the study can be found here.
