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
A meta-analysis of 17 randomized trials in menopausal women found exercise improved body fat, waist circumference, triglycerides, and lumbar spine bone density compared with no exercise.
Reported an improvementMeta-analysis · 792 participants pooled · 2018Midlife womenCited 16 timesPubMed
A meta-analysis of 11 trials in overweight or obese peri and postmenopausal women found exercise alone reduced body weight less than diet, but adding exercise to diet increased weight and fat loss.
Reported an improvementMeta-analysis · 2018Midlife womenCited 53 timesPubMed
A review of trials in women aged 40 to 60 found counseling interventions produced favorable weight changes versus control in 4 of 5 trials, but not in 2 exercise trials.
No difference foundSystematic review · 51,638 participants pooled · 2022Midlife womenCited 12 timesPubMed
A review of seven RCTs in women aged 40 to 60 found counseling interventions modestly reduced weight gain, while exercise-only trials showed no differences and higher fall rates.
Mixed resultsSystematic review · 51,638 participants pooled · 2022Midlife womenCited 6 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
A review of 5 RCTs in overweight and obese postmenopausal women found long-term physical activity interventions improved adiposity and physical capacity, while mental health outcomes did not change significantly.
Reported an improvementSystematic review · 2016PostmenopausalCited 33 timesPubMed
In 535 premenopausal women followed 4.5 years, a diet and physical activity lifestyle program prevented weight gain and reduced waist circumference compared with controls through the menopause transition.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 507 women · 235 weeks · 2003Midlife womenCited 114 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
A systematic review of nine studies found exercise, often combined with diet, was associated with weight loss or weight maintenance in postmenopausal women and older adults.
Reported an improvementSystematic review · 2012PostmenopausalCited 21 timesPubMed
A review of 12 studies found mobile apps and wearables increased physical activity by about 61 weekly minutes in midlife menopausal women and improved weight, anxiety, sleep and quality of life.
Reported an improvementSystematic review · 2022Midlife womenCited 14 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
Overweight women with urinary incontinence did a 6-month behavioral weight loss program versus health education, with weight loss linked to improved hot flush bother, though physical activity change itself was not related.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 338 women · 26 weeks · 2010Midlife womenCited 54 timesPubMed
In 279 postmenopausal women with type 2 diabetes, a 6 month lifestyle program improved physical activity, diet, stress management and weight loss compared with usual care.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 279 women · 26 weeks · 2005PostmenopausalCited 62 timesPubMed
Sedentary overweight postmenopausal women did a year-long moderate-intensity physical activity program versus stretching, with limited evidence that sleep changes affected exercise-related weight, ghrelin or leptin changes.
Mixed resultsRandomised trial · 173 women · 52 weeks · 2007PostmenopausalCited 59 timesPubMed
A meta-analysis of 20 randomized trials in postmenopausal women found exercise based rehabilitation reduced vasomotor symptoms but showed no significant pooled effect on BMI, blood pressure, or physical performance.
No difference foundMeta-analysis · 2026PostmenopausalPubMed
Postmenopausal women did 6 months of moderate intensity exercise, and weight loss and aerobic fitness both improved, with some variation by FTO genotype.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 234 women · 26 weeks · 2010PostmenopausalCited 48 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
Overweight, glucose-intolerant postmenopausal women assigned to an intensive lifestyle program with weight loss and 150 minutes weekly exercise had small FSH increases linked to weight loss over one year.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 382 women · 52 weeks · 2015PostmenopausalCited 25 timesPubMed
Overweight postmenopausal women lost about 5 to 6 percent of body weight via diet or exercise over 16 weeks, and exercise produced greater self-reported health improvement than diet.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 214 women · 16 weeks · 2015PostmenopausalCited 28 timesPubMed
Obese, sedentary postmenopausal women underwent a 6-month lifestyle change program with increased physical activity and reported reduced weight, fat mass, blood pressure, and cholesterol.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 44 women · 26 weeks · 2004PostmenopausalCited 48 timesPubMed
Women around age 58 in a breast screening program followed a 3 month lifestyle program targeting weight, activity and alcohol, and showed significant improvements in weight, BMI, waist and physical activity versus usual care.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 65 women · 12 weeks · 2014Midlife womenCited 28 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.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 325 women · 26 weeks · 2012PostmenopausalCited 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
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 followed a 12-month dairy, calcium and vitamin D plus lifestyle counseling program, calcium alone, or usual diet; the lifestyle group showed less loss of leg lean mass than the other groups.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 101 women · 52 weeks · 2009PostmenopausalCited 23 timesPubMed
In a 6 week RCT, a health belief model and social support training program increased physical activity and self efficacy and reduced BMI in overweight middle-aged women.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 73 women · 6 weeks · 2024Midlife womenCited 16 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
26 overweight, middle-aged women used pedometers for 12 weeks, increasing daily steps by 36% and lowering systolic blood pressure, but weight and body fat did not differ from controls.
No difference foundRandomised trial · 26 women · 12 weeks · 2009Midlife womenCited 26 timesPubMed
Sedentary overweight middle-aged women followed either a 30-minutes-a-day walking goal or a 10,000-steps-a-day pedometer goal for 12 weeks, and the steps group increased activity more than the minutes group.
No difference foundRandomised trial · 30 women · 12 weeks · 2011Midlife womenCited 24 timesPubMed
240 postmenopausal women on hormone therapy joined a lifestyle intervention or health education over 18 months; the lifestyle group increased physical activity and reduced weight and cholesterol.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 240 women · 78 weeks · 2007PostmenopausalCited 17 timesPubMed
Overweight postmenopausal women in a 48-month lifestyle programme who increased activity and lost weight showed faster 400-meter walk times than those who did not.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 508 women · 192 weeks · 2011PostmenopausalCited 13 timesPubMed
Inactive overweight women aged 45 to 65 given interventionist-led physical activity counseling for 12 weeks increased activity more than self-guided women short term, with no significant weight difference.
No difference foundRandomised trial · 98 women · 52 weeks · 2015Midlife womenCited 16 timesPubMed
In a long-term study of adults, higher physical activity was linked to increased fat-free mass and decreased body fat in women, with effects more pronounced after menopause.
Reported an improvementCohort study · 108 women · 1999Midlife womenCited 236 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
Postmenopausal women aged 55 to 70 joined a 6-month program to reduce sitting time, and researchers found no significant link between DNA methylation and physical activity but some correlation with weight change.
Mixed resultsRandomised trial · 20 women · 26 weeks · 2018PostmenopausalCited 15 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.
Reported an improvementRandomised 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
In postmenopausal women who lost weight via a supervised aerobic exercise trial, reduced physical activity and increased sedentary time during follow-up were linked to weight regain.
Reported a worseningRandomised trial · 227 women · 2019PostmenopausalCited 5 timesPubMed
In over 8000 postmenopausal women followed 6 years, higher physical activity reduced fat gain in women aged 50 to 59 but was not linked to changes in lean mass at any age.
Reported an improvementCohort study · 8,352 women · 312 weeks · 2013PostmenopausalCited 32 timesPubMed
Previously sedentary postmenopausal women aged 45 to 64 who completed a 20-week exercise plus health promotion program reported improved quality of life, mental well-being, weight, fitness and flexibility versus controls, sustained to 12 months.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 20 weeks · 2017PostmenopausalCited 16 timesPubMed
Inactive postmenopausal women prescribed 300 versus 150 minutes per week of exercise for a year showed no difference in total body fat at 24 months, though some body composition measures differed slightly.
No difference foundRandomised trial · 334 women · 104 weeks · 2019PostmenopausalCited 4 timesPubMed
Previously sedentary postmenopausal women who completed a supervised 20-week multicomponent exercise program showed improved quality of life, mental well-being, weight, fitness and flexibility, maintained through 12-month follow-up.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 20 weeks · 2017PostmenopausalCited 15 timesPubMed
In 288 overweight postmenopausal Chinese women, a 3-month theory-based education program raised physical activity and diet behavior and improved weight, waist circumference and blood pressure versus conventional education, sustained to 12 months.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 288 women · 52 weeks · 2024PostmenopausalCited 3 timesPubMed
Overweight middle-aged women followed a 2.5 year diet and exercise program; early weight loss shrank over time, but increases in physical activity grew larger over 6.6 years.
Mixed resultsRandomised trial · 130 weeks · 2016Midlife womenCited 14 timesPubMed
In 320 perimenopausal women with cardiovascular risk factors, an educational workshop intervention increased physical activity and mental quality of life and prevented weight gain over 12 months versus mailed information.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 320 women · 52 weeks · 2017PerimenopausalCited 3 timesPubMed
In 110 inactive overweight middle-aged women, a 12-week mobile social networking program increased physical activity and reduced weight and waist and hip measures more than text messaging.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 110 women · 12 weeks · 2022Midlife womenCited 3 timesPubMed
Postmenopausal women with abdominal obesity used a mobile and internet diet and exercise program for 12 weeks and showed reduced waist circumference, weight, blood pressure and cholesterol versus controls.
Reported an improvementControlled trial · 67 women · 12 weeks · 2012PostmenopausalCited 54 timesPubMed
Among postmenopausal smokers followed for 3 years, those who quit smoking and increased physical activity gained less weight than quitters with decreased activity.
Reported an improvementCohort study · 4,717 women · 156 weeks · 2019PostmenopausalCited 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
Middle-aged women followed for 2 years who increased physical activity and reduced BMI reported improved self-perceptions of physical condition and body attractiveness, raising self-esteem.
Reported an improvementCohort study · 143 women · 104 weeks · 2010Midlife womenCited 21 timesPubMed
In Australian women aged 45 to 55 followed for about three years, increases in physical activity were linked to increases in HDL cholesterol and wellbeing.
Reported a worseningCohort study · 292 women · 156 weeks · 1997Midlife womenCited 18 timesPubMed
In a 20-year cohort of over 5000 Scottish women followed from perimenopause, physical activity levels did not change significantly while obesity prevalence doubled over the period.
Reported a worseningCohort study · 5,119 women · 2017Midlife womenCited 5 timesPubMed
In 80 middle-aged Iranian women, an education-based behavior model nearly tripled physical activity levels and reduced average BMI compared to a control group.
Reported an improvementControlled trial · 80 women · 2021Midlife womenCited 11 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.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 46 women · 24 weeks · 2025PostmenopausalPubMed
In 4451 postmenopausal women followed 3 years, meeting physical activity guidelines of 150+ minutes weekly was estimated to lower abdominal fat and body weight and raise lean tissue.
Reported an improvementCohort study · 4,451 women · 156 weeks · 2025PostmenopausalCited 2 timesPubMed
51 middle-aged Korean women did 12 weeks of self-management or structured walking classes; both groups showed improved body fat and blood pressure with no difference between them.
Reported an improvementControlled trial · 51 women · 12 weeks · 2011Midlife womenCited 9 timesPubMed
In middle-aged Korean women, a walking-focused health promotion program improved physical activity level and lifestyle and reduced waist circumference and perceived stress compared to controls.
Reported an improvementControlled trial · 44 women · 2022Midlife womenCited 4 timesPubMed
Researchers compared body composition and fat burning during exercise in pre, peri and postmenopausal women and found lower fat oxidation during exercise in postmenopausal women.
Mixed resultsCross-sectional study · 72 women · 2022Midlife womenCited 33 timesPubMed
A 5 year survey of 216 menopausal women at cardiovascular risk found self-reported aerobic exercise changed similarly regardless of baseline weight, with low participation in strength training throughout.
Mixed resultsCohort study · 216 women · 260 weeks · 2016Midlife womenCited 2 timesPubMed
Over 20 months, middle-aged women with low cardiorespiratory fitness at baseline had more than three times the risk of gaining 3 kg or more compared with highly fit women.
Reported a worseningCohort study · 257 women · 87 weeks · 2010Midlife womenCited 2 timesPubMed
In 133 postmenopausal women, higher physical activity was linked to lower CRP levels, but this association was explained by lower body fat in more active women.
Direction not statedCross-sectional study · 133 women · 2003PostmenopausalCited 29 timesPubMed
In Australian women aged 47 to 52 followed for 21 years, those who met recommended physical activity levels over 18 years had a lower incidence of obesity than those who did not meet them.
Reported an improvementCohort study · 779 women · 2026Midlife womenPubMed
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 middle-aged women, a 12 week mobile autonomy support program with physical activity and diet guidance reduced waist circumference and systolic blood pressure.
Reported an improvementControlled trial · 12 weeks · 2024Midlife womenCited 2 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.
Reported an improvementCross-sectional study · 393 women · 2012PostmenopausalCited 11 timesPubMed
Postmenopausal breast and colorectal cancer survivors did a 12-month counseling plus physical activity and diet program; breast cancer survivors averaged 7.6% weight loss, colorectal survivors 2.5%.
Reported an improvementBefore-and-after study · 48 women · 52 weeks · 2018PostmenopausalCited 7 timesPubMed
In a 6-month personalized lifestyle program, 75 women aged 35 to 55 reported reduced waist circumference, lower diastolic blood pressure and improved menopausal symptoms and physical activity.
Reported an improvementBefore-and-after study · 75 women · 26 weeks · 2014Midlife womenCited 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.
Reported an improvementBefore-and-after study · 56 women · 12 weeks · 2024PostmenopausalCited 3 timesPubMed
A review reported that decreased physical activity and menopause-related hormonal changes contribute to midlife weight gain and increased central body fat.
Direction not statedOther · 2024Midlife womenCited 44 timesPubMed
In a 3 month home-based internet physical-cognitive exercise program for middle-aged obese women, body weight and BMI decreased while fitness and lower limb muscle power improved, with high adherence.
Reported an improvementBefore-and-after study · 33 women · 12 weeks · 2023Midlife womenCited 1 timesPubMed
Mostly postmenopausal nurses with average age 47 tried an eight week weight management program with exercise and diet, and showed decreased body weight and increased exercise at eight weeks that lessened by three months.
Reported an improvementBefore-and-after study · 12 weeks · 2014Midlife womenCited 3 timesPubMed
This review reported that physical activity and dietary interventions showed some survival benefits in breast cancer survivors, but evidence that weight loss reduces recurrence remained inconclusive.
Mixed resultsOther · 2023Midlife womenCited 13 timesPubMed
This review reported that exercise interventions in postmenopausal breast cancer patients on aromatase inhibitors improved body composition, joint pain, and overall quality of life.
Reported an improvementOther · 2020PostmenopausalCited 4 timesPubMed
This review discussed observational evidence that low physical activity and excess body fat were linked to poorer survival in women recovering from early-stage breast cancer, regardless of menopausal status.
Direction not statedOther · 2023Midlife womenCited 1 timesPubMed