Study: Does running during pregnancy lead to more active offspring?

The term “it runs in the family” may hold some merit after researchers from Baylor University in Texas found that female mice that voluntarily exercise during pregnancy are more likely to have exercise-loving offspring.

The study, entitled “Maternal exercise during pregnancy promotes physical activity in adult offspring” was published in The FASEB Journal in April.

RELATED: Jogging for two: Running pregnant.

Though the research was performed with mice, Dr. Robert A. Waterland, a senior author in the study and an associate professor, notes that “several human studies have reported results consistent with ours,” according to Baylor’s College of Medicine.

The study adds that observations suggest women who are more active during pregnancy tend to have children who are also active, though this may be because of the home environment and characteristics of upbringing, DNA, or other reasons.

Researchers took a group of mice, and assigned them to cages with either a locked or an unlocked running wheel. Maternal running behaviour was then monitored with some mice covering as much as 10 kilometres per night. The adult offspring from the unlocked cage were found to be more physically active.

The more sedentary mice were found to have offspring that were less active, according to the study. After a certain age, young mice were removed from their cages and separated from their mothers to eliminate the opportunity to watch their mothers run, which may have influenced behaviour.

The mice all had similar genetics.

RELATED: A guide to running while pregnant.

Importantly, this study was done with mice and not humans so the conclusion may not carryover. The New York Times adds that the study “can’t explain how exercise during pregnancy affects a developing infant’s later urge to work out.”

The New York Times also says that no mother should interpret the study as a criticism if there was minimal exercise done during a pregnancy.

The study concludes that “maternal physical activity during pregnancy affects the offspring’s lifelong propensity for physical activity and may have important implications for combating the worldwide epidemic of physical inactivity and obesity.”