Exercise during Pregnancy Boosts Child’s Brain Development

Amy Taylor November 15, 2013

Exercise during pregnancy may not only improve the health of mums-to-be and slash their risk of weight gain, butmay also benefit the brain development of their babies. That’s according to the latest study by the University of Montreal.

The team looked at mothers in their second trimester of pregnancy. 10 of them were asked to perform moderate cardiovascular exercises for at least 20 minutes, three times a week, and the rest were told not to exercise. At 8 to 12 days after birth, the researchers measured the brain activities of the babies using the electroencephalography (EEG) machine.

Findings showed that pregnant women who had physical activity at least three times a week had newborns who showed higher levels of brain activity than those who did not exercise. Specifically, these babies had greater mature cerebral activation which means that their brains developed more rapidly.

“Our research indicates that exercise during pregnancy enhances the newborn child’s brain development. Basically it’s the same benefits adults get from their own exercise,” said lead author Dave Ellemberg.

Whilst similar studies have been conducted in the past, the Montreal team was the first to carry out a randomised controlled trial in humans to objectively measure the impact of physical activity during pregnancy on the child’s brain. Currently, the team is evaluating the cognitive, motor and language development of these babies at one year of age to determine whether the benefits persist.

"We are optimistic that this will encourage women to change their health habits, given that the simple act of exercising during pregnancy could make a difference for their child’s future." said co-researcher Elise Labonté-LeMoyne."This is a wonderful motivational tool for pregnant women who need that extra push to exercise. They can give this boost to their baby’s brain by doing as little as 20 minutes of moderate aerobic exercise three times a week (which can be as simple as walking in the third trimester)," she added.

Their study was presented at the Neuroscience 2013 Congress in San Diego, California, USA.

Source of this article:

Exercise During Pregnancy Aids Infant’s Brain Development