REVIEW article
Front. Nutr.
Sec. Sport and Exercise Nutrition
This article is part of the Research TopicClinical Research on Nutrition and Exercise Synergy in Women's and Children's HealthView all articles
The metabolic implications of maternal exercise: effects on pregnant women and their offspring
Provisionally accepted
- 1China-Japan Union Hospital, Jilin University, Changchun, China
- 2The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, China
- 3Peking University Third Hospital, Beijing, China
- 4Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine Xinhua Hospital, Shanghai, China
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Metabolic health is increasingly recognized as a vital issue in global health, particularly with respect to pregnant women. This population is uniquely vulnerable to metabolic disorders, such as gestational diabetes, due to lifestyle modifications and physiological changes that occur during pregnancy. Additionally, the metabolic state of pregnant women significantly impacts the metabolic health of offspring. To enhance metabolic health, proper exercise is essential. This review examines the effects of maternal exercise on the metabolic health of pregnant women and their children, highlighting the evidence linking maternal exercise to various metabolic complications and the mechanisms that underpin its benefits.
Keywords: Maternal exercise, Metabolism, nutrient, offspring, Pregnancy
Received: 07 Nov 2025; Accepted: 05 Feb 2026.
Copyright: © 2026 He, Yuan, Zhang, Niu, Liu, Chen and Wang. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Xue Wang
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