Women suffering from depression during their second trimester are more likely to spend longer amounts of time sitting down. A new study shows that this sedentary behavior increases the likelihood of increased weight gain and gestational diabetes. Share on Pinterest Sitting for long periods of time when pregnant could increase the risk of maternal diabetes. The ethics of running clinical trials on pregnant women where the control group is considered likely to have a negative health impact are, understandably, not considered ethical. As such, information regarding the amount of physical effort a pregnant woman should undertake during pregnancy is sparse. Because of this knowledge gap, recommendations as to the amount of activity a pregnant woman should take are largely guesswork- albeit educated and reasonable guesswork. There is a sensible, general consensus that at least some physical activity is better than none, but the negative impacts of prolonged sitting down during pregnancy had not, until now, been measured.

The risks of a sedentary lifestyle A sedentary lifestyle is already known to have negative health implications, which differ from a lack of exercise. In other words, spending a large amount of time sitting down is a risk factor itself, separate from a lack of moderate to vigorous physical activity. Long periods of inactivity have been linked to diabetes, obesity, heart disease and mental health issues. Previous studies on the general population have shown that sedentary lifestyles have an effect on metabolism, bone mineral content, vascular health, increased plasma triglyceride levels, decreased levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and decreased insulin sensitivity. Compared with our parents or grandparents, people are far more likely to spend protracted amounts of time sitting down. This is due to a number of factors, including changes in the types of jobs people do (desk job versus farming), entertainment (computer games versus jump rope) or transport (cycling and walking versus cars and trains). In 1970, around 20% of employed Americans had relatively sedentary jobs and 30% were in jobs requiring high energy output. In 2000, the figure of employed people in light activity jobs had risen to 40%, and high energy roles were down to 20%.