Evidence library · Balance and falls

Does aerobic plus resistance affect balance and falls in menopause? What 15 studies found

Studies of aerobic plus resistance in perimenopausal and postmenopausal women that measured balance and falls. 10 reported an improvement and 1 found no difference against the comparison group.

  1. A review of 43 trials in postmenopausal women found exercise, especially resistance training and combined programmes, produced a small but statistically significant increase in bone density versus no exercise.

    Direction not statedMeta-analysis · 4,320 participants pooled · 2011PostmenopausalCited 400 timesPubMed

  2. A review of 28 randomised trials in postmenopausal women aged 50 to 65 found walking combined with resistance training could preserve weight and bone density and increase muscle strength.

    Mixed resultsSystematic review · 2,646 participants pooled · 2004Early postmenopausalCited 219 timesPubMed

  3. A meta-analysis of 19 trials in postmenopausal women found adding exercise to medicine or supplements improved lumbar spine bone density, leg muscle strength, balance, and quality of life.

    Reported an improvementMeta-analysis · 1,249 participants pooled · 2024PostmenopausalCited 13 timesPubMed

  4. A network meta-analysis of 26 trials found whole-body vibration, balance, balance plus nutrition, and resistance exercise improved balance scores in perimenopausal and early postmenopausal women.

    Reported an improvementMeta-analysis · 2023PerimenopausalCited 3 timesPubMed

  5. In 151 postmenopausal women over 18 months, a combined exercise program increased lumbar spine bone density, and adding whole body vibration lowered the number of falls but not bone density further.

    Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 151 women · 78 weeks · 2011PostmenopausalCited 101 timesPubMed

  6. Women averaging 69 years did an 18 month multipurpose exercise program and researchers reported increased lean mass and strength and reduced body fat compared to an active control group.

    Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 246 women · 78 weeks · 2010Midlife womenCited 56 timesPubMed

  7. Older postmenopausal women aged 73 to 88 did a 12 month weight-bearing exercise program; five years after stopping, bone density and neuromuscular function gains were lost in both exercisers and controls.

    Reported a worseningRandomised trial · 34 women · 260 weeks · 2009PostmenopausalCited 19 timesPubMed

  8. Over 10 weeks, sedentary postmenopausal women doing aerobic and strength training with or without whole-body electrostimulation improved strength, agility and speed, with added cardiovascular benefit from electrostimulation.

    No difference foundRandomised trial · 34 women · 10 weeks · 2020PostmenopausalCited 12 timesPubMed

  9. Inactive postmenopausal women did recreational team handball training for 36 weeks and researchers reported improved fitness, knee strength, lumbar spine bone density, and lipid markers.

    Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 45 women · 36 weeks · 2023PostmenopausalCited 10 timesPubMed

  10. In 151 postmenopausal women over one year, multifunctional training with or without whole-body vibration increased lumbar spine bone density, and vibration training reduced falls versus controls.

    Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 151 women · 52 weeks · 2009PostmenopausalCited 9 timesPubMed

  11. Postmenopausal women did 16 weeks of combined aerobic and strength training and showed improved gait speed, stride length, postural balance and aerobic capacity versus a non-training control group.

    Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 28 women · 16 weeks · 2023PostmenopausalCited 6 timesPubMed

  12. Postmenopausal women did a 12-month exercise and nutrition program then 6 months of voluntary home exercise; most physical benefits were maintained but bone and balance gains were not fully sustained with low exercise frequency.

    Mixed resultsRandomised trial · 45 women · 78 weeks · 2009PostmenopausalCited 6 timesPubMed

  13. Early postmenopausal women did 12 months of exercise with or without alendronate; exercise raised muscle power, balance and aerobic capacity but gains faded 15 months after stopping.

    Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 102 women · 65 weeks · 2004Early postmenopausalCited 5 timesPubMed

  14. In a 3 month combined aerobic and strength training program, obese and lean premenopausal middle-aged women improved similarly across most fitness, strength and balance measures, with high enjoyment in both groups.

    Reported an improvementControlled trial · 72 women · 12 weeks · 2023OtherCited 4 timesPubMed

  15. A six month community exercise program for perimenopausal and menopausal women improved quality of life and physical condition, especially aerobic fitness, strength and balance, versus inactive controls.

    Reported an improvementControlled trial · 26 weeks · 2022Midlife womenCited 6 timesPubMed

How to read this. Each line is one study, summarised in plain language from its PubMed abstract, with the authors' own sentence underneath on the study page. A count of studies is not a verdict: trials differ in size, length and quality, and a result in one group of women may not hold in another. Nothing here is medical advice.

Summaries are generated, then checked by machine against the abstract they came from; any summary that could not be matched word for word was left out. Our clinical lead is reviewing the summaries topic by topic, and this note will change when that is done. Corpus last refreshed 2026-11-03. Spotted a mistake? Tell us and we will fix the summary or remove the study.

Other exercise types and balance and falls