10/10/2025
Shocker: It takes far more energy to grow life than scientists once believed.
A Duke University study found that pregnancy rivals elite endurance events, making it the most energetically demanding activity the human body can sustain, equivalent to running a 40-week marathon.
Another peer-reviewed study published in Science found that pregnancy requires an additional 50,000 calories over nine months, with 96% of that energy coming directly from the mother. A woman’s resting energy use can rise by up to 30%, meaning her body works harder every single day, even at rest.
To put it in perspective, that’s like eating 50 pints of Ben & Jerry’s or sustaining the daily energy output of a Tour de France cyclist.
The energy it takes to grow life makes pregnancy one of the most extreme athletic feats on Earth. 🫶
