# Exercise therapy for gestational diabetes mellitus: from basic to clinical

**Authors:** Xiaying Niu, Kaiwen Wang, Li Li, Lin Zhang

PMC · DOI: 10.3389/fmed.2025.1716883 · Frontiers in Medicine · 2025-12-19

## TL;DR

This paper reviews how exercise therapy can help manage gestational diabetes, covering its science, clinical use, and future directions.

## Contribution

The paper provides a comprehensive review of the theoretical and clinical aspects of exercise therapy for gestational diabetes.

## Key findings

- Exercise therapy can improve the pathophysiology of gestational diabetes mellitus.
- Digital health tools and personalized programs are advancing exercise therapy for GDM.
- Controversies remain around exercise indications, compliance, and long-term efficacy.

## Abstract

This article reviews exercise therapy for gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). First, the pathophysiological basis of GDM was described, including epidemiological characteristics, pathological mechanisms, and progress in diagnostic techniques. The basic theory of exercise therapy is discussed, including the effect of exercise on the pathophysiology of GDM, the biological mechanism, and the comparison of the curative effect of different forms of exercise. This was followed by an in-depth analysis of clinical exercise therapy practices including exercise prescription formulation, clinical trial analysis, and safety assessment. Simultaneously, the technical progress of exercise therapy is introduced, including the application of exercise monitoring technology and digital health tools, as well as the development and application of personalized exercise therapy programs. In addition, the controversies and challenges of exercise therapy, such as indications and contraindications, compliance issues, and long-term efficacy evaluations, are discussed. Finally, the research trend, the potential of innovative exercise therapy, and the prospect of multidisciplinary cooperation are discussed to provide a comprehensive and in-depth theoretical and practical reference for exercise therapy for GDM.

## Linked entities

- **Diseases:** gestational diabetes mellitus (MONDO:0005406)

## Full-text entities

- **Diseases:** GDM (MESH:D016640)

## Full text

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## Figures

5 figures with captions in the complete paper: https://tomesphere.com/paper/PMC12758026/full.md

## References

92 references — full list in the complete paper: https://tomesphere.com/paper/PMC12758026/full.md

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Source: https://tomesphere.com/paper/PMC12758026