Pregnant women in Canada are being encouraged to don their ladies fitness clothing and exercise using a Nintendo Wii console.

Researchers at St Michael's Hospital have suggested that the Wii Fit game could help to manage gestational diabetes, a growing problem that occurs in between two and nine per cent of pregnancies.

Dr Howard Berger, head of the high-risk pregnancy unit at St Michael's, explained that many find it difficult to maintain a proper exercise regime, but that it is much harder for pregnant people.

"We thought that by combining a fun, home-based activity with a clinical goal we will be able to achieve an important health benefit for our patients with gestational diabetes," he added.

The researchers explain that the treatment for gestational diabetes is diet and exercise, such as 20 to 30 minutes of walking a day.

If this fails to control blood glucose levels, the patients have to take insulin, which happens in 15 to 66 per cent of women.

Last month, a report in the September 13th issue of Archives of Internal Medicine claimed that intensive lifestyle intervention programmes, which include exercise, delay the onset of diabetes.

Posted by Sue Wallis ADNFCR-2569-ID-800116181-ADNFCR

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