A new analysis of 3,489 pregnant women looked at whether certain types of exercise were better than others for controlling weight gain during pregnancy. The exercises compared included resistance training, aerobic exercise, combined exercise, virtual exercise, supervised sessions, Pilates, and childbirth training. The goal was to see if any of these approaches led to less weight gain than usual care.
The results were surprising: no exercise type showed a clear, statistically significant advantage over usual care for reducing gestational weight gain. While rankings suggested Pilates, aerobic exercise, and virtual exercise might be top choices, these rankings were not backed by strong evidence. When the researchers excluded studies with a high risk of bias, aerobic exercise moved to the top, but the overall picture remained uncertain.
This is a network meta-analysis, which combines results from many studies, but the evidence base was limited. The findings should be interpreted cautiously because rankings were sensitive to study quality. No safety concerns were reported, but the analysis did not provide details on side effects or how well women tolerated the exercises.
For pregnant women, the takeaway is that staying active is generally encouraged, but this analysis does not prove that one specific exercise is superior for weight control. Women should talk to their healthcare provider about what exercise routine is safe and suitable for their individual situation.
