A meta-analysis of 7 RCTs found programmed exercise for 3 to 4 months lowered insulin levels, HOMA-IR, BMI and body fat in postmenopausal women, while longer programs mainly reduced waist circumference.
Reported an improvementMeta-analysis · 580 participants pooled · 24 weeks · 2017PostmenopausalCited 21 timesPubMed
Postmenopausal women with type 2 diabetes following a 6-month Mediterranean lifestyle program combining diet, exercise and stress management reported improved blood sugar control, BMI and quality of life versus usual care.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 279 women · 26 weeks · 2003PostmenopausalCited 168 timesPubMed
Over 54 months, women given a diet and physical activity program going through perimenopause to postmenopause had smaller LDL cholesterol increases, less weight gain, and smaller waist circumference increase than an assessment-only group.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 535 women · 234 weeks · 2001Midlife womenCited 99 timesPubMed
In 535 premenopausal women aged 44 to 50, a 6-month diet and physical activity program reduced weight, cholesterol, blood pressure and blood sugar compared with no intervention.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 520 women · 26 weeks · 1995PerimenopausalCited 78 timesPubMed
A review of 15 intervention studies found that physical activity combined with calorie-restricted diets in postmenopausal women generally reduced body weight, fat mass and waist size and improved blood sugar and fitness.
Reported an improvementSystematic review · 2010PostmenopausalCited 9 timesPubMed
Postmenopausal women with glucose intolerance in an intensive lifestyle program combining weight loss and 150 minutes weekly exercise showed increased SHBG and lower DHEA, linked to lower glucose levels.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 382 women · 2012PostmenopausalCited 21 timesPubMed
Sedentary overweight postmenopausal women tested brief standing or walking breaks during prolonged sitting; walking breaks lowered post-meal glucose response and standing breaks improved vascular function versus sitting.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 10 women · 2017PostmenopausalCited 36 timesPubMed
Female cancer survivors averaging age 52 did a year of supervised aerobic plus resistance training or home-based activity, with the fitness center group showing greater treadmill time and heart rate recovery gains.
Mixed resultsRandomised trial · 154 women · 52 weeks · 2017Midlife womenCited 19 timesPubMed
Protocol describes a planned 12-month trial testing a diet and physical activity weight management program in overweight postmenopausal women attending breast screening; no results reported yet.
Direction not statedRandomised trial · 414 women · 52 weeks · 2018PostmenopausalCited 15 timesPubMed
Middle-aged women in a diet and physical activity lifestyle programme maintained improvements in weight, cholesterol and blood pressure measures from 6 to 18 months, though some benefits partly declined.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 489 women · 78 weeks · 1998Midlife womenCited 19 timesPubMed
In 12 overweight postmenopausal women, replacing sitting with standing and walking over 4 days improved insulin sensitivity similarly to a daily hour of moderate to vigorous exercise.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 12 women · 2021PostmenopausalCited 23 timesPubMed
In sedentary postmenopausal women, 12 weeks of step-counting programs increased daily steps and activity but changed only body mass index among clinical outcomes measured.
No difference foundRandomised trial · 115 women · 12 weeks · 2020PostmenopausalCited 9 timesPubMed
Over 12 weeks, 58 middle-aged women at cardiovascular risk using counseling, texts and a pedometer showed improved activity levels, body fat, and fasting blood sugar, but no change in cholesterol.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 58 women · 12 weeks · 2019Midlife womenCited 9 timesPubMed
A pilot trial of diet, exercise and stress management in 49 perimenopausal Latinas found the program feasible and acceptable for reducing cardiovascular risk factors over 12 months.
Direction not statedRandomised trial · 49 women · 52 weeks · 2026PerimenopausalCited 1 timesPubMed
In a large cohort of postmenopausal women, higher calibrated activity-related energy expenditure was linked to lower risk of cardiovascular disease, cancer, and diabetes.
Reported an improvementCohort study · 2014PostmenopausalCited 51 timesPubMed
Postmenopausal women received a 12-week community behavioral program targeting diet and physical activity, and waist circumference and activity behaviors improved over 24 weeks versus controls.
Direction not statedRandomised trial · 46 women · 24 weeks · 2025PostmenopausalPubMed
A modeling study of 10,854 Australian women aged 50 to 55 found shifting everyone to meet physical activity guidelines reduced modeled rates of diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, cancer and depression more than smaller uniform increases.
Reported an improvementCohort study · 10,854 women · 2014Midlife womenCited 3 timesPubMed
In 851 postmenopausal women aged 45 to 64, higher leisure physical activity was linked to higher HDL cholesterol and lower insulin and fibrinogen levels, with no link to blood pressure.
Reported an improvementCross-sectional study · 851 women · 1996PostmenopausalCited 44 timesPubMed
Postmenopausal women who habitually did combined aerobic and resistance exercise for over a year had longer telomere length and better metabolic markers than sedentary women of similar age.
Reported an improvementCross-sectional study · 44 women · 2012PostmenopausalCited 45 timesPubMed
In 137 overweight, sedentary postmenopausal women, a cross-sectional study found higher physical activity energy expenditure was linked to better insulin sensitivity and lower metabolic syndrome risk.
Reported an improvementCross-sectional study · 137 women · 2008PostmenopausalCited 17 timesPubMed
In postmenopausal women in a weight loss trial, higher leisure-time physical activity was associated with lower body mass index, waist circumference, body fat and more favorable cholesterol regardless of sleep quality.
Direction not statedCross-sectional study · 393 women · 2012PostmenopausalCited 11 timesPubMed
In postmenopausal women aged 50 to 79, higher recreational activity and habitual walking were associated with lower fasting insulin levels, independent of obesity and other factors.
Reported an improvementCross-sectional study · 3,500 women · 2006PostmenopausalCited 5 timesPubMed
In 56 postmenopausal breast cancer survivors on aromatase inhibitors, a multimodal exercise and health education program reduced metabolic syndrome prevalence, hypertension, central obesity, and triglycerides, and improved quality of life after 3 months.
No difference foundBefore-and-after study · 56 women · 12 weeks · 2024PostmenopausalCited 3 timesPubMed