Can exercise training rescue the adverse cardiometabolic effects of low birth weight and prematurity?

Abstract

Summary: Being born preterm and/or small for gestational age are well-established risk factors for cardiometabolic disease in adulthood. Physical activity has the potential to mitigate against the detrimental cardiometabolic effects of low birth weight from two perspectives: (i) maternal exercise prior to and during pregnancy; and (ii) exercise during childhood or adulthood for those born small or prematurely. Evidence from epidemiological birth cohort studies suggests that the effects of moderate-intensity physical activity during pregnancy on mean birth weight are small, but reduce the risk of either high or low birth weight infants. In contrast, vigorous and/or high-intensity exercise dur..