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The Role of Exercise in the Management of Gestational Diabetes Mellitus

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Book cover Nutrition and Diet in Maternal Diabetes

Part of the book series: Nutrition and Health ((NH))

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Abstract

The benefits of regular exercise during pregnancy are well established. These include both physical and psychological benefits specific to pregnancy in the short term, together with the significant life-long benefits to health conferred by regular exercise for all individuals. In addition, regular exercise plays an important role in the management of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), and potentially even prevention of the condition. Yet, most women are inactive during pregnancy, and many significantly reduce exercise participation during this period of their life. This chapter outlines the benefits of regular exercise during pregnancy, with a specific focus on the benefits for women with GDM, together with recommendations and special considerations for exercise prescription in this population.

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Abbreviations

Bpm:

Beats per minute

BMI:

Body mass index

GDM:

Gestational diabetes mellitus

HbA1c:

Glycated haemoglobin

HRR:

Heart rate reserve

\({\dot{\text{V}}\text{O}}_{2} \hbox{max}\) :

Maximal volume of oxygen consumption

OGTT:

Oral glucose tolerance test

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Sport Science, Exercise and Health, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, Perth, WA, 6009, Australia

    Kym J. Guelfi

  2. School of Nutrition, Dietetics and Food Technology, Curtin University, Kent Street, Bentley, Perth, WA, 6102, Australia

    Rhiannon E. Halse

  3. School of Women’s and Infants’ Health, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, Perth, WA, 6009, Australia

    John P. Newnham

Authors
  1. Kym J. Guelfi
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  2. Rhiannon E. Halse
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  3. John P. Newnham
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Kym J. Guelfi .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Nutrition, King’s College London, London, United Kingdom

    Rajkumar Rajendram

  2. Department of Nutrition, King’s College London, London, United Kingdom

    Victor R. Preedy

  3. Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Westminster, London, United Kingdom

    Vinood B. Patel

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Guelfi, K.J., Halse, R.E., Newnham, J.P. (2018). The Role of Exercise in the Management of Gestational Diabetes Mellitus. In: Rajendram, R., Preedy, V., Patel, V. (eds) Nutrition and Diet in Maternal Diabetes. Nutrition and Health. Humana Press, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-56440-1_23

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-56440-1_23

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  • Publisher Name: Humana Press, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-56438-8

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-56440-1

  • eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)

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