SHR # 2519 :: Exercise During Pregnancy Reduces Obesity Among Offspring - Dr. Min Du, PhD - When physically fit women exercise during pregnancy they could be setting their children up for better fitness too. That is according to a study published today in Science Advances led by Min Du, professor of animal sciences at Washington State University, and his PhD student Jun Seok Son. They found exercise during pregnancy stimulates the production of brown adipose tissue, commonly known as brown fat, in a developing fetus. Brown fat's primary role in the body is to burn off heat. It is often called good fat. White adipose tissue or white fat, on the other hand, is responsible for obesity and harder to burn off. It is commonly known as bad fat.