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
A meta-analysis of 11 trials in women aged 60 and over with sarcopenic obesity found exercise reduced body fat percentage and improved muscle mass and handgrip strength, with no change in gait speed.
No difference foundMeta-analysis · 532 participants pooled · 2025PostmenopausalCited 1 timesPubMed
Early postmenopausal women doing 12 months of jumping exercise, with or without alendronate, showed no change in spine or hip bone density but improved leg power, balance and cardiorespiratory fitness.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 164 women · 52 weeks · 2003Early postmenopausalCited 117 timesPubMed
Postmenopausal women did 2 years of resistance and walking exercise with or without soy isoflavones, and exercise groups maintained hip bone density and improved balance compared with control.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 351 women · 104 weeks · 2013PostmenopausalCited 62 timesPubMed
Postmenopausal women who practiced a modified Eight-Section Brocade exercise for 12 months, with or without calcium, had increased bone density, less back pain and better balance than controls.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 198 women · 52 weeks · 2015PostmenopausalCited 36 timesPubMed
Postmenopausal women with osteopenia did 52 weeks of hip-targeted strength, balance and jumping exercise with calcium, and showed a small hip bone density benefit plus better quality of life versus controls.
Direction not statedRandomised trial · 39 women · 52 weeks · 2012PostmenopausalCited 49 timesPubMed
In 244 women aged 45 to 65 doing a 4-month resistance exercise program, adding a fortified milk drink gave extra gains in lean mass, bone content and balance but not in muscle strength versus exercise with placebo.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 216 women · 16 weeks · 2020Midlife womenCited 14 timesPubMed
Postmenopausal women with osteoporosis did back extensor exercise with or without eldecalcitol for 24 weeks; eldecalcitol increased quadriceps strength but balance, walking and fall rates did not differ.
No difference foundRandomised trial · 226 women · 24 weeks · 2021PostmenopausalCited 10 timesPubMed
In postmenopausal women aged 50 to 70, 8 weeks of core and balance exercises with or without vitamin D improved balance and quality of life, with no added benefit from vitamin D.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 99 women · 8 weeks · 2021PostmenopausalCited 10 timesPubMed
In 85 middle-aged women, 12 weeks of Zumba training improved mobility, gait speed and lower body endurance, with caffeine supplementation further boosting these gains except for dynamic balance.
Mixed resultsRandomised trial · 85 women · 12 weeks · 2024Midlife womenCited 8 timesPubMed
Postmenopausal women did 10 weeks of resistance training with normal or higher protein intake; higher protein gave a small added gain in walking speed but not strength or lean mass quality.
No difference foundRandomised trial · 47 women · 10 weeks · 2019PostmenopausalCited 10 timesPubMed
In 40 overweight or obese postmenopausal women with low vitamin D, 8 weeks of water-based aerobic training with vitamin D3 improved BMI, grip strength, balance and gait speed more than either alone.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 40 women · 8 weeks · 2025PostmenopausalCited 5 timesPubMed
Fourteen postmenopausal women aged 50 to 65 took beetroot juice nitrate or placebo for eight days; a 6-minute walk test improved with nitrate but other performance tests did not differ.
No difference foundRandomised trial · 14 women · 1 weeks · 2024PostmenopausalCited 6 timesPubMed
Middle-aged women did 12 weeks of Zumba training with or without caffeine, with the combined group showing significant improvements in postural balance and cognitive performance on unstable surfaces.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 56 women · 12 weeks · 2023Midlife womenCited 4 timesPubMed
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
Thirty-six middle-aged women with sarcopenia did 12 weeks of resistance exercise with or without nitrate supplementation after knee surgery, and nitrate plus exercise improved muscle mass and strength more.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 36 women · 12 weeks · 2025Midlife womenCited 2 timesPubMed
In 21 postmenopausal breast cancer survivors, a 12-month program of home strength training plus alendronate, calcium and vitamin D improved balance, muscle strength and spine and hip bone density.
Reported an improvementBefore-and-after study · 21 women · 52 weeks · 2003PostmenopausalCited 30 timesPubMed
Postmenopausal women with osteopenia or osteoporosis did high-impact training, impact plus calcium/vitamin D, or brisk walking plus supplements for 2 years; the impact plus supplement group showed the largest bone density gains.
No difference foundBefore-and-after study · 39 women · 104 weeks · 2022PostmenopausalCited 4 timesPubMed