Maternal exercise and children's blood sugar regulation
Official title: Exercise Regulation of Glucose Homeostasis
Funded at Joslin Diabetes Center · NIH-11290293 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project is seeing whether mothers exercising before and during pregnancy can help prevent type 2 diabetes and improve blood sugar control in their children.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Joslin Diabetes Center NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Boston, United States) |
| Project start | September 16, 2013 |
| Project end | January 31, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $687,200 |
| NIH project number | 5R01DK101043-28 |
| Project ID | NIH-11290293 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Women who are pregnant or planning pregnancy, especially those with a family history or other risk factors for type 2 diabetes, would be the most relevant participants or beneficiaries.
✕Less likely to help
People not planning pregnancy and those already living with long-established type 2 diabetes are unlikely to receive direct benefit from this maternal-focused research.
What this research studies
Researchers are building on mouse experiments that showed mothers who exercise before and during pregnancy had offspring with much better metabolic health. The team will study molecular signals such as the vitamin D receptor and a hormone called TGFβ2 and how they change liver, muscle, and fat to protect offspring from high blood sugar. Most work uses animal models and lab analyses of tissues to trace epigenetic and signaling changes linked to maternal exercise. The aim is to identify mechanisms that could eventually inform recommendations or treatments to lower type 2 diabetes risk in children.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could reveal ways maternal exercise lowers children's risk of type 2 diabetes and guide prevention strategies.
How similar studies have gone: Previous mouse studies from this group showed striking metabolic benefits in offspring, but applying these findings to humans remains unproven.
Where this research is happening
-
Joslin Diabetes Center
Boston, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Goodyear, Laurie J — Joslin Diabetes Center
- Study coordinator: Goodyear, Laurie J
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.