Asthma affects millions of children, and finding ways to prevent it before birth could be a game-changer. Some evidence suggests that physical activity during pregnancy promotes fetal lung development, potentially reducing children’s asthma risk. A recent study found that the children of mothers who engaged in regular physical activity during pregnancy were nearly half as likely to develop asthma.

Researchers analyzed data from 963 mother-child pairs participating in the Kuopio Birth Cohort study. They gathered information on maternal physical activity during pregnancy, potential influencing factors, and asthma diagnoses in the children when they were between the ages of 5 and 7 years.

They found that the children of mothers who engaged in physical activity three or more times per week during pregnancy were 46% less likely to develop asthma. This relationship held steady even after adjusting for factors like the length of pregnancy, delivery method, maternal health conditions, and family environment.

These findings suggest that regular physical activity during pregnancy could effectively reduce asthma risk in children. Experts recommend that pregnant women aim for about 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise every week. Learn about other healthy lifestyle practices for pregnancy in Aliquot #100: Optimizing for a Healthy Pregnancy and Early Childhood.