Effect of Maternal Training Before and During Pregnancy on the Lipid Profilein Wistar Rat Offspring

The fetal period is an important stage in a person’s life. Exercise during pregnancyhas been considered as a positive factor in preventing chronic diseases in adulthood. The aim ofthis study was to investigate the role of maternal high intensity exercise before and during pregnancy onserum levels of lipid profile of adult offspring.

Twenty-four rats (170-200g) were divided into three maternal groups: Control (C),exercise Before Pregnancy (BP) and exercise before and during pregnancy (BDP). Exercise performed beforepregnancy for six weeks and during pregnancy for three weeks; one minute with 80% -95% vo2maxswitching with two minutes of active recovery (65% vo2max) for five days/week. After end of the trainingbirth process and breastfeeding, the offspring were divided according to theirs’s mother group and theywere kept until adult age. The serum levels of LDL, HDL, TG and Cho were measured by enzymic method.

The one-way ANOVA result showed that maternal exercise before and during pregnancy significantlyreduced LDL, Cho and LDL/HDL cholesterol ratio in male (P=0.03, P=0.2, P=0.04) and female(P=0.00, P=0.02, P=0.04) offspring.

This finding suggests that maternal high-intensity-interval training as an appropriate environmentalintervention can help to improve the health of the next generation.