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 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 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 15 RCTs with 1,110 middle-aged women found aerobic exercise reduced waist circumference and blood glucose and increased VO2 max.
Direction not statedMeta-analysis · 1,110 participants pooled · 2022Midlife womenCited 6 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 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
A meta-analysis of RCTs found that 16 weeks of aerobic training or 12 weeks of resistance training improved cholesterol and triglyceride levels in obese postmenopausal women.
Reported an improvementMeta-analysis · 16 weeks · 2025Midlife 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
Postmenopausal women with abnormal cholesterol did one year of aerobic exercise, diet, or both; diet plus exercise reduced LDL cholesterol while exercise alone did not change weight or diet.
Mixed resultsRandomised trial · 180 women · 52 weeks · 1998Midlife womenCited 328 timesPubMed
A network meta-analysis of 51 RCTs in postmenopausal women found HIIT, aerobic and combined exercise significantly lowered triglycerides versus control, while resistance training did not.
Reported an improvementMeta-analysis · 2,046 participants pooled · 2026PostmenopausalPubMed
In 120 postmenopausal women and men aged 50-65, two years of higher or lower intensity endurance exercise improved treadmill fitness and modestly raised HDL cholesterol in home-based groups.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 269 women · 104 weeks · 1995Midlife womenCited 306 timesPubMed
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
Overweight postmenopausal women did moderate or vigorous treadmill walking for 20 weeks during calorie restriction; both exercise groups preserved lean mass but showed no extra loss of abdominal fat versus diet alone.
No difference foundRandomised trial · 95 women · 20 weeks · 2009PostmenopausalCited 128 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
Postmenopausal women with fatty liver disease did 24 weeks of supervised aerobic activity, reducing waist circumference, raising HDL cholesterol, and improving fitness versus controls.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 40 women · 24 weeks · 2016PostmenopausalCited 51 timesPubMed
Obese postmenopausal women did six months of exercise with or without isoflavone supplementation, and exercise plus isoflavone reduced body weight and abdominal fat more than exercise alone.
No difference foundRandomised trial · 50 women · 26 weeks · 2007PostmenopausalCited 57 timesPubMed
In obese postmenopausal women, both aerobic and combined aerobic plus strength training reduced body fat and increased fat-free mass, with combined training producing a greater fat percentage reduction.
Mixed resultsRandomised trial · 65 women · 2016PostmenopausalCited 41 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
Overweight middle-aged women trained at their maximal fat oxidation intensity five days a week for 10 weeks and showed reduced body fat, weight and triglycerides compared to controls.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 30 women · 10 weeks · 2016Midlife womenCited 44 timesPubMed
Perimenopausal women who walked briskly three or more times weekly for 12 weeks reported greater reductions in menopausal symptom scores, cholesterol, triglycerides and weight than controls.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 111 women · 12 weeks · 2014PerimenopausalCited 35 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.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 71 women · 44 weeks · 1996PostmenopausalCited 57 timesPubMed
Elderly postmenopausal women did a 12 week home bench step exercise program, and those with lower starting HDL cholesterol showed increased HDL and reduced an inflammatory marker.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 62 women · 12 weeks · 2015PostmenopausalCited 37 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
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
Overweight middle-aged women doing aerobic training three times weekly for 3 months, with or without daily orange juice, both lost fat and improved anaerobic threshold, with juice linked to better LDL and HDL changes.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 26 women · 12 weeks · 2010Midlife womenCited 37 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
Sedentary postmenopausal women did 30 or 45 minutes of moderate exercise 5 days a week for 12 weeks; longer duration produced greater gains in fitness, body composition and HDL cholesterol.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 26 women · 12 weeks · 2009PostmenopausalCited 35 timesPubMed
Postmenopausal women who did supervised aerobic or resistance exercise 3 days a week for 8 weeks reported improved menopausal symptoms, lower depression and better quality of life, with no change in lipid profiles.
No difference foundRandomised trial · 36 women · 8 weeks · 2010PostmenopausalCited 31 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
Over 12 weeks, 50 midlife women doing aerobic exercise improved peak oxygen uptake by 18%, while a strength training group showed no fitness change; lipid changes were similar between groups.
No difference foundRandomised trial · 50 women · 12 weeks · 1991Midlife womenCited 41 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
A one-year moderate-intensity aerobic exercise program in overweight, sedentary postmenopausal women improved fitness and reduced body fat but did not significantly change blood cholesterol levels versus stretching controls.
No difference foundRandomised trial · 170 women · 52 weeks · 2006PostmenopausalCited 20 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
Midlife women did a year of home-based aerobic exercise with slight calorie restriction, showing greater weight loss at 6 months that faded by 12 months, but lasting HDL cholesterol improvement.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 203 women · 52 weeks · 2010Midlife womenCited 17 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
Untrained postmenopausal women played recreational team handball 2 to 3 times weekly for 16 weeks and showed greater improvements in aerobic fitness and cholesterol levels than controls.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 67 women · 16 weeks · 2020PostmenopausalCited 16 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 men and postmenopausal women with overweight/obesity did 3 weeks of vigorous treadmill exercise with calorie restriction, reducing weight, fat mass and improving insulin sensitivity without changing gut microbiome.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 30 women · 3 weeks · 2025Midlife womenCited 10 timesPubMed
In postmenopausal women averaging 56 years, 12 weeks of treadmill exercise improved waist circumference, HDL cholesterol, interleukin-6 levels and exercise capacity compared to a control group.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 46 women · 12 weeks · 2014PostmenopausalCited 11 timesPubMed
In middle-aged men and postmenopausal women, 4 weeks of aerobic exercise training increased HDL cholesterol, while plant stanol ester margarine lowered total and LDL cholesterol.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 26 women · 9 weeks · 2006Midlife womenCited 12 timesPubMed
Sedentary middle-aged women who jogged for 4 months improved endurance capacity but showed only small, mostly nonsignificant changes in serum lipid levels compared to controls.
No difference foundRandomised trial · 33 women · 16 weeks · 1992Midlife womenCited 14 timesPubMed
In postmenopausal women, 16 weeks of concurrent aerobic plus strength training raised HDL cholesterol and lowered atherogenic index, with benefits sustained a year later in those with high triglycerides.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 60 women · 16 weeks · 2018PostmenopausalCited 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
Obese middle-aged women who did combined aerobic and resistance training lost more abdominal subcutaneous and visceral fat and gained more lean mass than those doing aerobic training alone.
Reported an improvementControlled trial · 30 women · 2003Midlife womenCited 73 timesPubMed
In 60 postmenopausal women, 16 weeks of aerobic or combined aerobic plus strength training improved body composition and metabolic markers, but leg lean mass returned to pre-training levels after 6 months of detraining.
Direction not statedControlled trial · 60 women · 16 weeks · 2017PostmenopausalCited 27 timesPubMed
Postmenopausal women did a single evening bout of aerobic exercise, and researchers found lower next-morning triglyceride and VLDL responses to a high-sugar breakfast compared with no exercise.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 22 women · 2022PostmenopausalCited 2 timesPubMed
Postmenopausal women ate high or low oleic acid beef for 6 weeks each and did a single bout of aerobic exercise; exercise blunted the rise in HDL cholesterol caused by the high oleic acid diet.
Mixed resultsControlled trial · 17 women · 16 weeks · 2013PostmenopausalCited 22 timesPubMed
African-American pre- and postmenopausal women did six months of mild-intensity aerobic exercise; postmenopausal women showed improved triglycerides and some vascular markers but not fitness or glucose.
Reported an improvementControlled trial · 35 women · 26 weeks · 2014Midlife womenCited 17 timesPubMed
In 25 physically active postmenopausal women, a single treadmill walking session reduced triglycerides by about 8.5% regardless of baseline cholesterol status.
Reported an improvementControlled trial · 25 women · 2005PostmenopausalCited 18 timesPubMed
Pre and postmenopausal women did a 3 month high-intensity aerobic exercise program, and both groups showed increased plasma apolipoprotein M and sphingosine-1-phosphate levels regardless of menopausal status.
Reported an improvementControlled trial · 75 women · 12 weeks · 2019Midlife womenCited 7 timesPubMed
Postmenopausal women who increased weekend moderate to vigorous physical activity by about 16 minutes had 13 percent lower post-meal blood triglyceride levels than during their usual weekend routine.
Reported an improvementControlled trial · 10 women · 2014PostmenopausalCited 5 timesPubMed
In sedentary postmenopausal women, 4 weeks of extended release niacin improved HDL cholesterol, but combining a single exercise session with niacin was studied alongside niacin alone.
Reported an improvementControlled trial · 18 women · 4 weeks · 2010PostmenopausalCited 2 timesPubMed
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
Postmenopausal women with abdominal obesity did 12 weeks of interval Nordic walking or strength training, both reduced waist circumference, raised HDL, and lowered blood glucose versus controls.
Reported an improvementControlled trial · 12 weeks · 2026PostmenopausalPubMed
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
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.
Reported an improvementBefore-and-after study · 13 women · 52 weeks · 1991Midlife womenCited 2 timesPubMed
A review of studies found exercise was generally linked to higher HDL cholesterol in both premenopausal and postmenopausal women, though training study results were inconsistent.
Mixed resultsOther · 1993Midlife womenCited 29 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.
Mixed resultsOther · 1991Midlife womenCited 29 timesPubMed
This review reported that regular aerobic exercise in postmenopausal women was linked to improved cholesterol and fibrinogen profiles, similar to benefits seen with hormone replacement therapy.
Reported an improvementOther · 2000PostmenopausalCited 22 timesPubMed
A review reported that aerobic and resistance exercise in menopausal women was linked to improved cardiovascular fitness, increased bone mineral content, greater muscle strength and reduced body fat.
Direction not statedOther · 1990Midlife womenCited 21 timesPubMed
This review reported that higher-volume aerobic exercise raised HDL cholesterol in pre and postmenopausal women, while resistance training lowered LDL, total cholesterol and body fat without raising HDL.
Mixed resultsOther · 2001Midlife womenCited 2 timesPubMed
This review reports that regular aerobic or resistance training, alongside Mediterranean or DASH diets, can help mitigate adverse lipid changes during the menopause transition.
Reported an improvementOther · 2026Midlife womenPubMed