Gestational weight gain may mediate effect of exercise on prevention of incident macrosomia, suggests study

They sought to investigate the impact of individualized exercise guidance during pregnancy on the incidence of macrosomia and the mediating effect of gestational weight gain (GWG). A randomized clinical trial was conducted from December 2021 to September 2022 to compare the effects of standard prenatal care with individualized exercise guidance on the incidence of macrosomia. Results: In all, 312 singleton women were randomized into an intervention group (N = 162) or a control group (N = 150). Participants who received individualized exercise guidance had a significantly lower incidence of macrosomia (3.73% vs. 13.61%, P = 0.002) and infants large for gestational age (9.94% vs. 19.73%, P = 0.015). However, no differences were observed in the rate of preterm birth (1.86% vs. 3.40%, P = 0.397) or the average gestational age at birth (39.14 ± 1.51 vs. 38.69 ± 1.85, P = 0.258). Mediation analysis revealed that GWG mediated the effect of exercise on reducing the incidence of macrosomia. Individualized exercise guidance may be a preventive tool for macrosomia, and GWG mediates the effect of exercise on reducing the incidence of macrosomia. However, evidence does not show that exercise increases the rate of preterm birth or affects the average gestational age at birth.

Reference:

Yang, X., Wang, G., Liu, N. et al. Mediating effect of gestational weight gain on the preventive effect of exercise during pregnancy on macrosomia: a randomized clinical trial. BMC Pregnancy Childbirth 24, 384 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12884-024-06527-7