A review of 28 randomised trials in postmenopausal women aged 50 to 65 found walking combined with resistance training could preserve weight and bone density and increase muscle strength.
Mixed resultsSystematic review · 2,646 participants pooled · 2004Early postmenopausalCited 219 timesPubMed
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
Postmenopausal women did 2 years of resistance and walking exercise with or without soy isoflavones, and exercise groups maintained hip bone density and improved balance compared with control.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 351 women · 104 weeks · 2013PostmenopausalCited 62 timesPubMed
Postmenopausal Japanese women who walked 45 minutes 3 times weekly for a year had reduced fat mass, increased HDL cholesterol, and less bone loss at the hip.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 136 women · 52 weeks · 2006Early postmenopausalCited 87 timesPubMed
In postmenopausal Japanese women over 24 weeks, walking combined with isoflavone intake increased HDL cholesterol and decreased body fat, with bone density effects depending on equol-producer status.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 128 women · 24 weeks · 2006PostmenopausalCited 82 timesPubMed
Sedentary postmenopausal women walking five days weekly at varying intensities and doses showed small improvements in diastolic blood pressure and blood glucose, but no change in lipids or insulin.
No difference foundRandomised trial · 246 women · 2003PostmenopausalCited 53 timesPubMed
Postmenopausal women walked 3 or 5 days a week for 24 weeks, and authors reported both increased aerobic fitness and decreased body fat, with no change in serum lipids.
No difference foundRandomised trial · 56 women · 24 weeks · 1996PostmenopausalCited 72 timesPubMed
Eleven postmenopausal women who walked briskly for 90 minutes had lower postprandial blood fat levels afterward than when they restricted food intake by the same energy amount.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 11 women · 2000PostmenopausalCited 83 timesPubMed
In 34 men and postmenopausal women, 6 weeks of increased daily walking reduced triglycerides, while raisins and walking together lowered blood pressure and cholesterol, researchers reported.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 34 women · 6 weeks · 2008Midlife womenCited 55 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
Twenty nine postmenopausal breast cancer survivors did 15 weeks of combined walking and resistance training, and the exercise group showed improved fitness, blood pressure, weight, insulin, glucose and cholesterol measures.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 29 women · 15 weeks · 2012PostmenopausalCited 45 timesPubMed
Sedentary postmenopausal women and men who walked briskly before meals, in short or one long session, had lower post-meal blood fat levels than without walking.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 10 women · 2000PostmenopausalCited 61 timesPubMed
In 24 sedentary women aged 41 to 55, 12 weeks of brisk walking improved fitness and reduced body fat, lowered the post-meal insulin response, but did not change the post-meal triglyceride response.
No difference foundRandomised trial · 24 women · 12 weeks · 1995Midlife womenCited 54 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
Postmenopausal women with mild hyperlipidemia who walked about 54 minutes most days for six months had reduced cholesterol, triglycerides, body fat and increased fitness versus controls.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 25 women · 26 weeks · 1995PostmenopausalCited 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
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
Inactive postmenopausal women with high triglycerides tried continuous or short bouts of walking in one day; both walking patterns lowered post-meal triglyceride levels versus sitting.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 12 women · 2018PostmenopausalCited 23 timesPubMed
Middle-aged women who followed a 12-week systematic walking program showed greater increases in HDL cholesterol and greater decreases in insulin than a control group.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 52 women · 12 weeks · 2003Midlife womenCited 22 timesPubMed
Postmenopausal women and men increased daily steps walked, alone or with raisins, over 6 weeks; the walking group showed a decrease in apolipoprotein C-III and increased LDL receptor gene activity.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 34 women · 6 weeks · 2009Midlife womenCited 17 timesPubMed
In untrained postmenopausal women, moderate-intensity interval walking and continuous walking training produced similar improvements in glucose, insulin, HDL cholesterol and aerobic fitness.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 32 women · 2014PostmenopausalCited 14 timesPubMed
A 10-week intermittent walking programme in 36 obese postmenopausal women reduced thyroid stimulating hormone, triglycerides, cholesterol and blood pressure, and improved fitness and HDL cholesterol.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 36 women · 10 weeks · 2026Early postmenopausalCited 8 timesPubMed
Postmenopausal women aged 50 to 60 did treadmill training twice weekly for six months, with or without phototherapy, and showed improved cholesterol and reduced skinfold thickness.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 30 women · 26 weeks · 2017PostmenopausalCited 10 timesPubMed
Obese postmenopausal women who followed 6 months of hypocaloric diet plus low-intensity walking lost weight and abdominal fat and improved lipid and glucose measures, in both Caucasian and African-American women.
Reported an improvementControlled trial · 76 women · 26 weeks · 2003PostmenopausalCited 63 timesPubMed
In 9 trained and 13 untrained women around age 40 to 44, a 90 minute walk before a high fat meal reportedly lowered post meal blood fat levels compared with no exercise.
Reported an improvementControlled trial · 22 women · 1997Midlife womenCited 84 timesPubMed
Overweight postmenopausal women did 10 weeks of Nordic walking or Pilates, and Nordic walking produced larger improvements in weight, blood glucose and cholesterol than Pilates.
Reported an improvementControlled trial · 147 women · 10 weeks · 2015PostmenopausalCited 34 timesPubMed
Postmenopausal women compared prolonged sitting with regular brief walking breaks, and researchers found walking breaks lowered after-meal blood triglyceride levels compared with sitting.
Reported an improvementControlled trial · 15 women · 2016PostmenopausalCited 45 timesPubMed
Moderately obese postmenopausal women did diet alone or diet plus walking and resistance exercise for 24 weeks, and both groups lost weight with no added effect of exercise on blood lipids or glucose.
No difference foundControlled trial · 41 women · 24 weeks · 1996PostmenopausalCited 51 timesPubMed
Pre-menopausal women who did a single 2-hour brisk treadmill walk had fasting triglycerides reduced by about 23% and postprandial triglyceride response reduced by about 23%.
Reported an improvementControlled trial · 19 women · 2003OtherCited 48 timesPubMed
Postmenopausal women did a 12-week fitness walking program and showed improved triglycerides, blood pressure, blood sugar, waist circumference and HDL versus controls who worsened.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 30 women · 12 weeks · 2025PostmenopausalCited 1 timesPubMed
Postmenopausal women did brisk walking with or without added yoga for three months, and adding yoga produced greater improvements in BMI, blood pressure and cholesterol levels.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 139 women · 12 weeks · 2026PostmenopausalPubMed
Overweight premenopausal and postmenopausal women did a 16-week brisk walking program, which lowered glucose area under the curve but did not improve the overall cardiometabolic risk profile.
No difference foundControlled trial · 30 women · 16 weeks · 2013Midlife womenCited 15 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 obese women did a 16-week walking program, with both groups showing similar reductions in fat mass, waist size and HDL cholesterol, and improved fitness.
Mixed resultsControlled trial · 30 women · 16 weeks · 2010Midlife womenCited 15 timesPubMed
Twenty postmenopausal women at risk for heart disease did a 2 week diet and daily walking program and showed reduced BMI, insulin, cholesterol, and some inflammatory markers.
Reported an improvementBefore-and-after study · 20 women · 2 weeks · 2004PostmenopausalCited 82 timesPubMed
Middle-aged overweight Korean women with high triglycerides did 12 weeks of brisk walking, with or without added diet counseling, and both groups showed reduced triglycerides and apolipoprotein B.
Reported an improvementControlled trial · 19 women · 12 weeks · 2006Midlife womenCited 3 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
36 obese postmenopausal women did a 6 month diet plus low-intensity walking program, and those with greater drops in fat tissue enzyme activity lost more abdominal fat and regained less weight afterward.
Reported an improvementBefore-and-after study · 36 women · 26 weeks · 2000PostmenopausalCited 14 timesPubMed
Inactive pre and postmenopausal women with obesity did a 16 week walking program and showed reduced insulin resistance, improved fitness and body fat, but increased triglycerides and lower HDL cholesterol.
Mixed resultsBefore-and-after study · 29 women · 16 weeks · 2018Midlife womenCited 7 timesPubMed
Obese postmenopausal women who walked briskly 3 times weekly for 16 weeks improved fitness and fat loss most when adherence was high, regardless of exercise intensity.
Reported an improvementBefore-and-after study · 159 women · 16 weeks · 2015PostmenopausalCited 5 timesPubMed
Obese postmenopausal women did a 10 week mixed Nordic walking and strength training program and showed improved fitness, strength, waist to hip ratio and cholesterol levels.
Reported an improvementBefore-and-after study · 10 weeks · 2014PostmenopausalCited 8 timesPubMed
In 12 sedentary postmenopausal women, a single 30 minute brisk walk at moderate or vigorous intensity lowered fasting triglycerides the next morning but did not change CRP or fibrinogen.
Reported an improvementOther · 12 women · 2008PostmenopausalCited 13 timesPubMed