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 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
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.
No difference foundRandomised 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
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
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.
Mixed resultsRandomised trial · 489 women · 78 weeks · 1998Midlife womenCited 19 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
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
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.
No difference foundRandomised trial · 58 women · 12 weeks · 2019Midlife womenCited 9 timesPubMed
In over 27,000 healthy US women averaging age 55, lower self-reported physical activity was linked to worse cholesterol and inflammatory marker levels, though body weight mattered more.
Reported a worseningCross-sectional study · 27,158 women · 2006Midlife womenCited 247 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
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 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 an improvementCohort study · 292 women · 156 weeks · 1997Midlife womenCited 18 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 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
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 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
In 571 women aged 50 to 60, those with more daily steps and more breaks from sitting had higher HDL cholesterol and lower triglycerides measured by accelerometer.
Reported an improvementCross-sectional study · 571 women · 2021Midlife womenCited 8 timesPubMed
In 485 postmenopausal women, higher physical activity was linked to more favorable cholesterol and lipoprotein levels, with some associations differing by hormone therapy use.
Reported an improvementCross-sectional study · 485 women · 2007PostmenopausalCited 8 timesPubMed
In 721 women aged 45 to 55, higher physical activity was associated with lower dyslipidaemia risk, but activity did not fully offset the higher risk linked to sleep problems.
Reported an improvementCross-sectional study · 721 women · 2022Midlife womenCited 3 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 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
A review compared how physical activity and estrogen therapy each affect cholesterol, blood pressure, and blood vessel function in postmenopausal women, finding both may offer cardiovascular benefit.
Direction not statedOther · 1999PostmenopausalCited 5 timesPubMed