Mouse study explores exercise effect in pregnancy

A study has found that pregnant mice that exercised every day built up more stores of “good” brown fat — which promotes stronger metabolism — than pregnant mice kept away from treadmills, and that those differences were reflected in their litters. The mice that exercised during pregnancy and their offspring also had higher levels of apelin (a hormone produced during exercise). The study suggested that activity during pregnancy may lower the likelihood of obesity in children, though a mouse study cannot prove that. It also raised the idea of a therapeutic approach: pregnant mice injected with apelin had offspring with more brown fat, suggesting the hormone might mimic the effects of activity.