The following is a summary of “Effects of physical activity on blood lipids and HbA1c in healthy pregnant women: the FitMum randomized controlled trial,” published in the July 2024 issue of Obstetrics and Gynecology by Jensen et al.

Maternal blood lipid and glucose concentrations during pregnancy significantly influence fetal development and the risk of pregnancy-related complications. This study aimed to explore the impact of physical activity (PA) on maternal blood lipid profiles and hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) levels during pregnancy, hypothesizing that increased PA would improve lipid profiles and glycemic control.

In this secondary analysis of a randomized controlled trial, 216 pregnant women were enrolled before week 15+0 and assigned to two different PA interventions or standard care. The effects of these interventions on maternal blood lipid concentrations (total cholesterol [TC], high-density lipoprotein cholesterol [HDL-C], low-density lipoprotein cholesterol [LDL-C], triglycerides) and HbA1c were assessed at multiple time points: ≤15+0 weeks, 28+0-6 weeks, 34+0-6 weeks, and at delivery (week 32+1 to 42+0). Additionally, the influence of PA measured by an activity tracker was analyzed. Linear mixed effects models and linear regression analyses were employed to evaluate the effects of interventions and PA.

No significant effects of the PA interventions on maternal lipid profiles or HbA1c levels during pregnancy were observed. However, higher levels of PA measured by minutes per week of moderate-to-vigorous intensity exercise were associated with reduced increases in TC (β = -1.3E-04, p = 0.020) and LDL-C (β = -8.5E-05, p = 0.035) throughout pregnancy. 

Similarly, greater active kilocalories expended were linked to attenuated increases in TC (β = -5.5E-05, p < 0.001), HDL-C (β = -9.5E-06, p = 0.024), and LDL-C (β = -3.2E-05, p = 0.005).

While the PA interventions did not demonstrate significant effects, higher levels of PA were associated with beneficial alterations in maternal lipid profiles during pregnancy. These findings underscore the potential role of regular PA in mitigating adverse changes in lipid metabolism, thereby potentially reducing the risk of pregnancy complications related to dyslipidemia.

Source: sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1530891X24005998