Good news for expecting moms: committing to a workout three times a week during pregnancy might do more than just boost your own health—it could cut your child’s risk of asthma nearly in half. A new study by researchers from the University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio University Hospital, and the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare recently published in MED found that mothers who exercised at least three times a week during pregnancy had children with a significantly lower risk of developing asthma.
The study tracked nearly 1,000 mother-child pairs from pregnancy until the children were seven. We’ve always known that exercise during pregnancy benefits both moms and babies, but this is the first time researchers have found a direct link between a woman’s physical activity during pregnancy and a lower risk of asthma in her child.
According to researchers, the reduced asthma risk wasn’t tied to other factors like the mother’s weight, diet, stress levels, or even things like owning a family dog. “Our findings strongly suggest that maternal exercise during pregnancy has an independent positive effect on the fetus and the child’s later health,” says Emma-Reetta Musakka, a researcher from the University of Eastern Finland.
This may be the case because exercising while pregnant may play an important role in supporting the baby’s lung development. “We don’t yet know exactly why, but it could be that maternal exercise helps with fetal lung maturation,” Musakka notes.
Until now, avoiding cigarette smoke during pregnancy was one of the few well-known ways to reduce the risk of your child developing asthma. But this study suggests that moderate exercise could have a similarly strong protective effect. “It’s exciting to think that a mom’s decision to stay active could be as powerful as a parent quitting smoking when it comes to reducing asthma risk,” says Dr. Pirkka Kirjavainen, the study’s lead researcher.
The study also found that exercising more than three times a week didn’t necessarily lower the risk of developing asthma further. But researchers also note that more studies are needed to explore how different amounts and types of exercise might impact asthma risk. Current World Health Organization guidelines suggest pregnant women aim for around 2.5 hours of moderate exercise per week.
“It’s highly encouraging to see that by engaging in reasonable amounts of exercise, mothers can significantly influence not only their own health, but also the health of their child,” says Kirjavainen.
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