Daily walking decreases casual glucose level among pregnant women in the second trimester.
The objective of this study was to explore the relationship between carbohydrate metabolism and the number of steps walked daily, as evaluated by accelerometer, among Japanese women in the second trimester of pregnancy. This longitudinal study was conducted at a university hospital in Tokyo, Japan, from August 2012 to January 2013. Healthy pregnant women at 14 to 18 gestational weeks were recruited. Participants wore accelerometers on the waist for 4 weeks. Casual glucose and hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) levels were compared between two groups based on whether participants habitually walked ≥ 6,000 steps/day or < 6,000 steps/day. Fifty-one pregnant women were included in the present study; data from 35 were analyzed. There were 22 women in the group that habitually walked ≥ 6,000 steps/day and 13 in the group habitually walking < 6,000 steps/day. Although the median serum casual glucose level at the end of the investigation was 90.0 mg/dL in the group walking < 6,000 steps/day, the level in the group walking ≥ 6000 steps/day was 83.5 mg/dL (p = 0.01). HbA1c levels were not significantly different between the two groups. Our results suggest that walking as a daily habitual physical activity is effective for controlling casual glucose levels in the second trimester of pregnancy.
Department of Midwifery and Women's Health, Division of Health Sciences & Nursing, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo.
Ayako
A
Hayashi
Masayo
M
Matsuzaki
Momoko
M
Kusaka
Mie
M
Shiraishi
Megumi
M
Haruna
D061725:Accelerometry; D000328:Adult; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000378:metabolism*; D015444:Exercise; D005260:Female; D006442:Glycated Hemoglobin / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D011247:Pregnancy; D011262:Pregnancy Trimester, Second / Q000378:metabolism; D016138:Walking
D001786:Blood Glucose; D006442:Glycated Hemoglobin; C517652:hemoglobin A1c protein, human