A meta-analysis of 39 RCTs in postmenopausal women found exercise training improved waist circumference, triglycerides, HDL, glucose, and blood pressure, with combined training most effective.
Reported an improvementMeta-analysis · 2,132 participants pooled · 2023PostmenopausalCited 33 timesPubMed
A network meta-analysis of 38 trials in postmenopausal women found water exercise best improved blood pressure and total cholesterol, combined training improved triglycerides and HDL, and resistance training improved LDL.
Reported an improvementMeta-analysis · 1,407 participants pooled · 2022PostmenopausalCited 16 timesPubMed
A network meta-analysis of 32 RCTs in postmenopausal women found endurance, interval, resistance, and hybrid training improved flow-mediated dilation and pulse wave velocity, measures of vascular function.
Reported an improvementMeta-analysis · 1,427 participants pooled · 2024PostmenopausalCited 12 timesPubMed
A meta-analysis of 26 RCTs in postmenopausal women found aerobic and resistance exercise reduced blood pressure and arterial stiffness, while mind body exercise like tai chi or yoga showed no clear effect.
Reported an improvementMeta-analysis · 729 participants pooled · 2023PostmenopausalCited 10 timesPubMed
A meta-analysis of 31 trials in middle-aged women found combined aerobic and resistance exercise reduced waist circumference and blood pressure, while aerobic alone did not reduce body weight and resistance alone had no significant effect.
Reported an improvementMeta-analysis · 2,202 participants pooled · 2021Midlife womenCited 7 timesPubMed
A meta-analysis of 59 trials in postmenopausal women aged 45 to 78 found aerobic training improved blood pressure, BMI, waist circumference, body fat, cholesterol and fitness, with very low certainty evidence.
Reported an improvementMeta-analysis · 4,225 participants pooled · 2024PostmenopausalCited 5 timesPubMed
A meta-analysis of 41 trials found a single exercise session lowered blood pressure afterward in both pre and postmenopausal women, with resistance and aerobic exercise most effective in postmenopausal women.
Reported an improvementMeta-analysis · 718 participants pooled · 2024Midlife womenCited 7 timesPubMed
A meta-analysis of 9 studies found aerobic exercise training improved flow mediated dilation, a marker of vascular function, in postmenopausal individuals.
Reported an improvementMeta-analysis · 182 participants pooled · 2022PostmenopausalCited 8 timesPubMed
A meta-analysis of 12 RCTs in healthy postmenopausal women found aerobic exercise training produced small reductions in resting systolic and diastolic blood pressure versus control.
Reported an improvementMeta-analysis · 687 participants pooled · 2023PostmenopausalCited 4 timesPubMed
A meta-analysis of 61 RCTs with 4,100 postmenopausal women found aerobic exercise lowered blood pressure, improved lipid profile, and reduced anxiety, with no significant effect on depression or total cholesterol.
Reported an improvementMeta-analysis · 4,100 participants pooled · 2025PostmenopausalCited 2 timesPubMed
A meta-analysis of seven trials in postmenopausal women found combined aerobic exercise and hormone therapy lowered systolic blood pressure more than aerobic exercise alone, but exercise alone improved fitness more.
Reported an improvementMeta-analysis · 386 participants pooled · 2023PostmenopausalCited 4 timesPubMed
A network meta-analysis of 64 trials in postmenopausal women found continuous aerobic exercise best lowered blood pressure in those with hypertension, while HIIT was most effective in those without.
Reported an improvementMeta-analysis · 2,460 participants pooled · 2025PostmenopausalCited 2 timesPubMed
A network meta-analysis of 142 trials in postmenopausal women found combined training, aerobic exercise, resistance training and mind-body exercise each improved different metabolic syndrome risk factors.
Reported an improvementMeta-analysis · 7,967 participants pooled · 2025PostmenopausalCited 1 timesPubMed
464 sedentary, overweight postmenopausal women with elevated blood pressure exercised at varying doses for 6 months, with fitness improving more at higher exercise doses but blood pressure unchanged.
No difference foundRandomised trial · 464 women · 26 weeks · 2007PostmenopausalCited 484 timesPubMed
A meta-analysis of six RCTs found aerobic training over 12 to 20 weeks reduced arterial stiffness in women with high blood pressure, while resistance training showed a smaller, borderline effect.
Reported an improvementMeta-analysis · 2024Midlife womenCited 9 timesPubMed
A meta-analysis of 17 studies found plaza dancing reduced body weight, BMI, body fat, blood pressure and cholesterol, and improved vital capacity in middle-aged and older women.
Reported an improvementMeta-analysis · 2025Midlife womenCited 6 timesPubMed
A network meta-analysis pooling 79 trials of postmenopausal women found multi-component exercise at a higher weekly dose gave the most consistent reductions in systolic and diastolic blood pressure.
Reported an improvementMeta-analysis · 3,628 participants pooled · 2026PostmenopausalPubMed
A review found that 12 to 16 weeks of recreational football training in women aged 18 to 65 improved aerobic fitness, blood pressure, fat loss, lipid profile and bone mineralisation.
Reported an improvementSystematic review · 2018Midlife womenCited 45 timesPubMed
A review of 13 studies in postmenopausal women found combined aerobic and resistance exercise, and aerobic exercise alone, improved cardiorespiratory fitness and arterial stiffness, particularly pulse wave velocity.
Direction not statedSystematic review · 700 participants pooled · 2024PostmenopausalCited 7 timesPubMed
In 15 sedentary postmenopausal women, 8 weeks of brisk walking improved treadmill fitness but did not change brachial artery flow mediated dilation, unlike men who improved.
No difference foundRandomised trial · 15 women · 8 weeks · 2011PostmenopausalCited 175 timesPubMed
A systematic review of randomized trials in menopausal and postmenopausal women found exercise training lowered systolic and diastolic blood pressure, with combined aerobic and resistance training showing the largest reductions.
Reported an improvementSystematic review · 2021Midlife womenCited 23 timesPubMed
A systematic review of 51 studies found aerobic, resistance, interval or stretching exercise improved arterial stiffness in healthy young, middle-aged and older women, varying by age and exercise type.
Reported an improvementSystematic review · 2023Midlife womenCited 20 timesPubMed
Postmenopausal breast cancer survivors cycling three times weekly for 15 weeks showed improved heart rate recovery and a non-significant drop in C-reactive protein versus controls.
No difference foundRandomised trial · 52 women · 15 weeks · 2005PostmenopausalCited 140 timesPubMed
A 6-month aerobic exercise program in overweight postmenopausal women with elevated blood pressure increased fitness and reduced weight and waist circumference but did not change blood pressure or lipid or inflammatory markers.
No difference foundRandomised trial · 267 women · 26 weeks · 2009PostmenopausalCited 90 timesPubMed
Sedentary postmenopausal women at increased cardiovascular risk were assigned to different doses of aerobic exercise training for six months to study effects on fitness and heart disease risk factors.
Direction not statedRandomised trial · 450 women · 26 weeks · 2004PostmenopausalCited 83 timesPubMed
Obese postmenopausal women with elevated blood pressure did 6 months of aerobic exercise at three doses, and all exercise groups showed improved endothelial function versus controls.
Direction not statedRandomised trial · 155 women · 26 weeks · 2012PostmenopausalCited 79 timesPubMed
In 45 postmenopausal women over 8 weeks, endurance exercise combined with curcumin lowered aortic systolic blood pressure and arterial stiffness more than either alone.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 45 women · 8 weeks · 2012PostmenopausalCited 82 timesPubMed
Healthy sedentary postmenopausal women did 18 weeks of resistance or aerobic training, and aerobic training reduced arterial wave reflection while resistance training did not change it.
Mixed resultsRandomised trial · 23 women · 18 weeks · 2007PostmenopausalCited 103 timesPubMed
A review of 35 studies found two thirds showed improved endothelial function with exercise training in postmenopausal women, with effects varying by intensity, duration and hormone therapy use.
Reported an improvementSystematic review · 2022PostmenopausalCited 12 timesPubMed
Women aged 32 to 59 did 12 weeks of moderate resistance training or aerobic training; resistance training did not increase arterial stiffness, while aerobic training reduced it, and neither changed blood pressure.
No difference foundRandomised trial · 35 women · 12 weeks · 2009Midlife womenCited 79 timesPubMed
In 43 postmenopausal women, 8 weeks of aerobic exercise combined with lactotripeptide supplementation improved blood vessel dilation more than either exercise or supplement alone.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 43 women · 8 weeks · 2010PostmenopausalCited 59 timesPubMed
17 sedentary postmenopausal women did 12 weeks of moderate or vigorous cycling exercise, and both intensities reduced carotid arterial stiffness similarly.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 17 women · 12 weeks · 2006PostmenopausalCited 71 timesPubMed
In postmenopausal women, 2 weeks of low-volume high-intensity interval cycling raised peak oxygen uptake while a longer moderate-intensity continuous program did not reach significance for that measure.
No difference foundRandomised trial · 18 women · 2 weeks · 2014PostmenopausalCited 58 timesPubMed
Postmenopausal women did a moderate exercise program with or without estrogen for 6 months, and exercise alone reduced cholesterol and LDL and increased fitness.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 101 women · 26 weeks · 1994PostmenopausalCited 60 timesPubMed
Obese postmenopausal women with prehypertension did 10 weeks of moderate aerobic exercise and showed lower blood pressure and improved blood vessel function compared with controls.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 24 women · 10 weeks · 2017PostmenopausalCited 45 timesPubMed
Postmenopausal women aged 60 to 72 did 11 months of endurance exercise, hormone therapy, both, or neither, and exercise lowered total and LDL cholesterol while HRT raised HDL cholesterol.
No difference foundRandomised trial · 71 women · 44 weeks · 1996PostmenopausalCited 57 timesPubMed
In obese postmenopausal women, 16 weeks of aerobic exercise reduced body fat, glucose, insulin and blood pressure, and raised sex hormone binding globulin, versus no change in controls.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 30 women · 16 weeks · 2012PostmenopausalCited 45 timesPubMed
In a 6 month trial, obese postmenopausal women doing higher doses of aerobic exercise had greater reductions in exercise blood pressure than controls.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 404 women · 26 weeks · 2012PostmenopausalCited 26 timesPubMed
In postmenopausal hypertensive women, 12 weeks of water-based aerobic exercise reduced systolic blood pressure similarly to dry land aerobic training, both versus no exercise.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 52 women · 12 weeks · 2014PostmenopausalCited 37 timesPubMed
In 65 postmenopausal women with high cardiovascular risk, 12 weeks of exergaming improved fitness and blood vessel function similarly to treadmill exercise, and both reduced heart fat thickness.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 65 women · 12 weeks · 2020PostmenopausalCited 30 timesPubMed
Postmenopausal women did a 12 week home-based bench step exercise program and showed improved BMI, blood pressure, glucose, LDL cholesterol and arterial stiffness measures.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 26 women · 12 weeks · 2012PostmenopausalCited 38 timesPubMed
Sedentary postmenopausal women did 2 months of flamenco and sevillanas dance three times weekly, improving mobility, balance, physical activity, and fitness, but not blood pressure, weight, or quality of life.
No difference foundRandomised trial · 52 women · 8 weeks · 2016PostmenopausalCited 30 timesPubMed
Healthy women aged 50 to 65 did 12 weeks of combined aerobic plus resistance training or aerobic training alone, and combined training improved growth hormone, body fat, glucose and blood pressure more.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 22 women · 12 weeks · 2010Midlife womenCited 40 timesPubMed
Twenty two postmenopausal women did two months of walking and cycling, and the exercise group showed increased pentraxin 3, HDL cholesterol, peak oxygen uptake and arterial compliance.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 22 women · 8 weeks · 2012PostmenopausalCited 35 timesPubMed
In postmenopausal women, six months of aerobic training combined with higher habitual daily steps produced greater reductions in waist circumference and weight than aerobic training with lower daily steps.
No difference foundRandomised trial · 325 women · 26 weeks · 2012PostmenopausalCited 19 timesPubMed
Postmenopausal women completed 8 to 12 weeks of high intensity interval or continuous aerobic training and researchers found improved blood vessel function, with HIIT showing stronger effects than moderate training.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 48 women · 12 weeks · 2022PostmenopausalCited 22 timesPubMed
Inactive pre-menopausal women with mild hypertension who did one year of small-sided soccer training had greater reductions in blood pressure and fat mass, and improved bone mineral density, lipids and fitness than controls.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 31 women · 52 weeks · 2017OtherCited 25 timesPubMed
A 12-week program encouraging aerobic exercise and lifestyle changes in women aged 50-65 reported decreases in waist-to-hip ratio, BMI, blood pressure and weight compared to controls.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 90 women · 12 weeks · 2006Midlife womenCited 26 timesPubMed
Postmenopausal women cycling for 12 weeks at either low or moderate intensity both showed increased central arterial compliance, with no difference between intensities.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 15 women · 12 weeks · 2004PostmenopausalCited 38 timesPubMed
Postmenopausal women with osteoporosis did brisk walks and aerobic exercise for one year; the training group reduced waist circumference versus controls, with no significant changes in blood pressure or lipids.
No difference foundRandomised trial · 92 women · 52 weeks · 2009PostmenopausalCited 22 timesPubMed
Obese, inactive postmenopausal Black women at breast cancer risk did 6 months of supervised or home-based aerobic exercise and researchers found reduced allostatic load scores compared with controls.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 213 women · 26 weeks · 2022PostmenopausalCited 13 timesPubMed
Postmenopausal obese black women with a family history of breast cancer did six months of supervised or home-based walking exercise and showed improved metabolic syndrome scores compared to controls.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 213 women · 26 weeks · 2018PostmenopausalCited 14 timesPubMed
Postmenopausal women with metabolic syndrome features did 6 months of low-load circuit resistance or aerobic cycling training; both groups reduced body fat, blood pressure and cholesterol with no difference between methods.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 34 women · 24 weeks · 2017PostmenopausalCited 20 timesPubMed
In 14 inactive postmenopausal women with hypertension, beetroot juice before aerobic exercise lowered post-exercise blood pressure and improved vascular dilation more than placebo over one week.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 14 women · 1 weeks · 2024PostmenopausalCited 20 timesPubMed
Chinese menopausal transition and early postmenopausal women followed a 12-month diet and aerobic activity program; the intervention group showed greater decreases in weight, blood pressure and cholesterol than controls.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 100 women · 52 weeks · 2014PerimenopausalCited 15 timesPubMed
Sedentary overweight postmenopausal women with hypertension did 6 months of cardiorespiratory exercise at varying doses, and higher doses were reported to improve metabolic syndrome components more.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 26 weeks · 2013PostmenopausalCited 40 timesPubMed
In healthy postmenopausal women, 6 months of cycle ergometer aerobic training three times weekly improved forearm blood flow and reduced sympathetic nerve activity, regardless of estrogen therapy.
No difference foundRandomised trial · 45 women · 26 weeks · 2014PostmenopausalCited 17 timesPubMed
In 10 sedentary postmenopausal women, 12 weeks of cycling endurance training increased peak oxygen consumption by 16% and lowered resting heart rate and blood pressure during exercise.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 10 women · 12 weeks · 2009PostmenopausalCited 25 timesPubMed
Healthy postmenopausal women walked for 12 weeks with or without hormone therapy, and both groups showed improved peak oxygen uptake regardless of hormone use.
No difference foundRandomised trial · 23 women · 12 weeks · 2009PostmenopausalCited 19 timesPubMed
Hypertensive postmenopausal women did a single 40-minute treadmill session with beetroot juice, placebo juice, or a drink; blood pressure fell similarly after exercise regardless of beverage.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 13 women · 2019PostmenopausalCited 16 timesPubMed
Postmenopausal women did 6 months of cycle ergometer aerobic training with or without estrogen therapy, and aerobic training prevented the daytime blood pressure rise seen with estrogen alone.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 47 women · 26 weeks · 2011PostmenopausalCited 12 timesPubMed
Sixteen normotensive postmenopausal women did 30 minutes of aerobic exercise with or without l-arginine, and exercise alone lowered systolic blood pressure over 24 hours without changing inflammatory markers.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 16 women · 2016PostmenopausalCited 12 timesPubMed
Postmenopausal women did a single session of high or moderate intensity exercise with beetroot juice nitrate supplement, and high intensity exercise plus nitrate improved blood vessel dilation more than control.
Direction not statedRandomised trial · 24 women · 2023PostmenopausalCited 8 timesPubMed
Postmenopausal women with hypertension who did 12 weeks of standard aerobic training showed little blood pressure drop, but all who switched to high-intensity interval training saw significant reductions.
Mixed resultsRandomised trial · 65 women · 24 weeks · 2024PostmenopausalCited 6 timesPubMed
Late premenopausal and early postmenopausal women did 3 months of high-intensity aerobic training, which reduced weight, blood pressure, cholesterol and improved insulin response similarly in both groups.
Reported an improvementControlled trial · 79 women · 12 weeks · 2017Midlife womenCited 64 timesPubMed
In overweight and obese middle-aged women, 2 months of moderate aerobic exercise improved fitness and reduced body weight and blood pressure but did not change cognitive or motor performance.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 8 weeks · 2021Midlife womenCited 13 timesPubMed
Sedentary postmenopausal hypertensive women doing 8 weeks of aerobic exercise in mineral spring water showed reduced blood pressure and body fat and improved fitness versus controls.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 20 women · 8 weeks · 2020PostmenopausalCited 6 timesPubMed
Healthy postmenopausal women took low-dose estrogen or placebo for 6 months then cycled; estrogen did not change postexercise blood pressure or sympathetic nerve activity drops.
No difference foundRandomised trial · 18 women · 24 weeks · 2008PostmenopausalCited 8 timesPubMed
Sedentary, mildly hypertensive middle-aged women who did soccer training for 15 weeks showed increased heart mass and improved heart relaxation measures compared to controls.
Direction not statedRandomised trial · 41 women · 15 weeks · 2024Midlife womenCited 4 timesPubMed
Postmenopausal women with hypertension cycled at moderate intensity three times weekly for 12 weeks, and baseline blood pressure and nighttime readings predicted who responded with lower blood pressure.
Mixed resultsRandomised trial · 65 women · 12 weeks · 2023PostmenopausalCited 3 timesPubMed
Breast cancer survivors, including postmenopausal women, did 12 weeks of combined treadmill and stretching exercise, which improved resting blood pressure and oxygen saturation compared to controls.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 48 women · 12 weeks · 2015Midlife womenCited 4 timesPubMed
In 13 sedentary postmenopausal women, a single session of treadmill exercise lowered blood pressure afterward and nearly doubled post-exercise blood vessel dilation compared with premenopausal women.
Reported an improvementControlled trial · 13 women · 2005PostmenopausalCited 64 timesPubMed
In a pilot RCT of 31 postmenopausal women with hypertension, supervised aerobic exercise improved VO2 max and heart rate variability over 12 weeks, with a greater reduction in blood pressure variability than home based walking.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 31 women · 12 weeks · 2026PostmenopausalPubMed
In an 8-week trial, both aerobic-only and combined aerobic plus resistance training lowered blood pressure in middle-aged women with prehypertension, with combined training giving a larger diastolic reduction.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 31 women · 8 weeks · 2025Midlife womenPubMed
In menopausal and non-menopausal women with metabolic syndrome, three months of aerobic training improved abdominal fat, blood glucose and fitness but did not change resting or post-exercise blood pressure.
No difference foundControlled trial · 44 women · 12 weeks · 2012PostmenopausalCited 6 timesPubMed
Sixteen postmenopausal women tried mat Pilates, aerobic exercise, resistance exercise and a control session, and blood pressure fell after aerobic and resistance exercise but not after Pilates.
Mixed resultsControlled trial · 16 women · 2019PostmenopausalCited 4 timesPubMed
A 12 week aerobic training program in postmenopausal women with one or more cardiometabolic conditions reduced morning surge blood pressure but did not consistently improve arterial stiffness.
Mixed resultsControlled trial · 41 women · 12 weeks · 2026PostmenopausalPubMed
Ninety middle-aged Korean women with obesity did three months of aerobic exercise training and researchers found improved body composition, blood pressure, cholesterol and adiponectin levels.
Reported an improvementBefore-and-after study · 90 women · 12 weeks · 2013Midlife womenCited 9 timesPubMed
A review of exercise training in hypertensive postmenopausal women reported that aerobic and resistance exercise were linked to improved blood pressure, lipid profiles and cardiorespiratory fitness.
Reported an improvementOther · 2018PostmenopausalCited 56 timesPubMed
This narrative review summarized medical literature finding that regular exercise in midlife and postmenopausal women is linked with reduced obesity, cancer, dementia, mood symptoms, and osteoporosis.
Reported an improvementOther · 2015Midlife womenCited 56 timesPubMed
A review reported that aerobic exercise improves artery stiffness in older men and women but endothelial function improvements seen in men are not consistently found in estrogen-deficient postmenopausal women.
Mixed resultsOther · 2024Midlife womenCited 40 timesPubMed
Obese middle-aged women were followed one year after an 18 week jogging and diet program; researchers reported fitness and cholesterol ratio gains were maintained with continued self-directed training.
Direction not statedBefore-and-after study · 13 women · 52 weeks · 1991Midlife womenCited 2 timesPubMed
A trial protocol will compare 3 months of inspiratory muscle strength training to brisk walking in postmenopausal women with elevated blood pressure, but results are not yet reported.
Direction not statedOther · 72 women · 12 weeks · 2022PostmenopausalCited 7 timesPubMed
A review reported that habitual running and aerobic exercise were linked to higher bone density, better fitness, lower blood pressure and reduced coronary risk in women including postmenopausal groups.
Reported an improvementOther · 1991Midlife womenCited 29 timesPubMed
A review reported that regular aerobic and resistance exercise during early postmenopause may improve vascular function via higher nitric oxide and oestradiol levels, though effects are less consistent in oestradiol deficient women.
Mixed resultsOther · 2026Midlife womenCited 10 timesPubMed