A systematic review of studies in postmenopausal women found physical activity was linked to lower rates of cognitive and physical decline and reduced all-cause mortality.
Reported an improvementSystematic review · 2014PostmenopausalCited 35 timesPubMed
A review of controlled trials found exercise trials for hot flushes gave mixed results, while one yoga trial reduced hot flushes and improved cognitive symptoms more than exercise.
Reported an improvementSystematic review · 2014Midlife womenCited 27 timesPubMed
In 19 postmenopausal breast cancer survivors aged 40 to 65, 24 weeks of aerobic exercise improved processing speed versus usual lifestyle, but self-reported cognitive function did not differ.
Mixed resultsRandomised trial · 19 women · 24 weeks · 2018PostmenopausalCited 96 timesPubMed
In a yearlong trial, 173 overweight postmenopausal women doing moderate-intensity exercise versus stretching had increased hot flash severity and less memory problems, with no other symptom changes.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 173 women · 52 weeks · 2004PostmenopausalCited 81 timesPubMed
Middle-aged women with fibromyalgia did a 16 week aquatic exercise program and researchers found fewer tender points and improved sleep and cognitive function, with no change in anxiety.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 60 women · 16 weeks · 2008Midlife womenCited 76 timesPubMed
Middle-aged women with fibromyalgia who did 16 weeks of warm-water aquatic exercise reported less pain and better cognitive function than a control group.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 60 women · 16 weeks · 2007Midlife womenCited 71 timesPubMed
92 postmenopausal women with obesity did diet, physical-cognitive exercise, or both for 3 months, and exercise groups showed improved memory, BDNF, insulin and body fat versus controls.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 92 women · 12 weeks · 2024PostmenopausalCited 42 timesPubMed
In 120 perimenopausal women, 8 weeks of yoga reduced hot flushes, night sweats and sleep disturbance and improved memory and attention test scores more than supervised physical exercise.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 120 women · 8 weeks · 2008PerimenopausalCited 54 timesPubMed
In postmenopausal women aged 60 and over, a 12-week Pilates program improved lower-body strength and functional flexibility versus controls, but did not improve global cognitive function.
No difference foundRandomised trial · 110 women · 12 weeks · 2020PostmenopausalCited 32 timesPubMed
Postmenopausal breast cancer survivors on endocrine therapy did six months of moderate aerobic exercise and showed improved processing speed, learning and working memory compared to usual care.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 153 women · 26 weeks · 2024PostmenopausalCited 24 timesPubMed
A review of 14 studies found that higher perimenopausal leisure time physical activity was linked to lower risk of dementia later in life.
Reported an improvementSystematic review · 2024PerimenopausalCited 5 timesPubMed
In 68 obese postmenopausal women, 12 weeks of treadmill exercise combined with the MIND diet improved cognitive and functional levels and changed sex hormone levels compared with diet alone.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 68 women · 12 weeks · 2022PostmenopausalCited 14 timesPubMed
Low-income middle-aged Korean women did an 8 week lifestyle program including physical activity, nutrition and stress management, and reported better health-promoting behavior, cognitive function and lower blood pressure than controls.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 63 women · 8 weeks · 2021Midlife womenCited 9 timesPubMed
A scoping review of 19 studies found movement, mostly aerobic training, was linked to brain health benefits, such as executive function, in 68% of studies on perimenopausal and early postmenopausal women.
Reported an improvementSystematic review · 2025PerimenopausalCited 1 timesPubMed
Postmenopausal women with metabolic syndrome did a 16-week mixed aerobic and strength program; the exercise group had higher oxygen uptake and some cognitive improvements versus controls.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 12 women · 16 weeks · 2013PostmenopausalCited 10 timesPubMed
Sedentary postmenopausal women did one 30 minute session of high intensity interval exercise with or without whole body vibration, and both raised bone markers and improved working memory task performance, vibration more so.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 63 women · 2025PostmenopausalCited 5 timesPubMed
In a 15-year cohort of postmenopausal Danish women, those reporting physical activity at least once weekly had a lower risk of developing dementia than less active women.
Reported an improvementCohort study · 5,512 women · 2016PostmenopausalCited 29 timesPubMed
In overweight and obese middle-aged women, 2 months of moderate aerobic exercise improved fitness and reduced body weight and blood pressure but did not change cognitive or motor performance.
No difference foundRandomised trial · 8 weeks · 2021Midlife womenCited 13 timesPubMed
Middle-aged women did 12 weeks of Zumba training with or without caffeine, with the combined group showing significant improvements in postural balance and cognitive performance on unstable surfaces.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 56 women · 12 weeks · 2023Midlife womenCited 4 timesPubMed
In 70 postmenopausal women with type 2 diabetes, a 12 week home-based multi-task exercise program improved HDL levels, cognitive function, and physical fitness compared to controls.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 70 women · 12 weeks · 2025PostmenopausalCited 3 timesPubMed
Postmenopausal women did low-impact dance three times weekly for 16 weeks, and researchers reported improvements in a bone formation marker and parts of cognitive and functional fitness.
Mixed resultsRandomised trial · 16 weeks · 2022PostmenopausalCited 7 timesPubMed
In 85 inactive postmenopausal women with type 2 diabetes, a home-based dual-task exercise program improved executive function, physical performance and HDL, and reduced IL-10 and TNF, but did not change diabetes indices overall.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 85 women · 2025PostmenopausalCited 2 timesPubMed
Seventy one sedentary postmenopausal women did aerobic exercise with or without whole body vibration; both groups reported improved cognitive accuracy and bone-related markers, with vibration plus aerobic exercise more effective.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 71 women · 2025PostmenopausalCited 2 timesPubMed
Fifty nine peri, meno and postmenopausal women did a 12 week resistance and endurance circuit program with or without time restricted eating; exercise alone improved some cognitive test scores, with no added benefit from time restricted eating.
Mixed resultsRandomised trial · 59 women · 12 weeks · 2025Midlife womenCited 2 timesPubMed
A 2 week multicomponent exercise program (aerobic, strength, flexibility, balance) in 30 postmenopausal women improved Stroop test performance and global cognitive function scores versus controls.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 30 women · 2 weeks · 2024PostmenopausalCited 2 timesPubMed
Fifteen middle-aged women did a single session crossover trial of low-load resistance exercise with blood flow restriction, which reported faster reaction times and increased BDNF and VEGF compared with other conditions.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 15 women · 2025Midlife womenCited 2 timesPubMed
In 34 postmenopausal women with overweight or obesity and functional limits, 24 weeks of caloric restriction plus walking and resistance exercise improved one cognitive test score versus education controls, with no change in verbal fluency.
Mixed resultsRandomised trial · 34 women · 24 weeks · 2025PostmenopausalCited 1 timesPubMed
In a crossover RCT, 29 postmenopausal women aged about 55 completed one isometric resistance session and one high-intensity interval session; neither improved cognitive performance despite increased brain oxygenation.
No difference foundRandomised trial · 29 women · 2026Early postmenopausalCited 1 timesPubMed
In a 6 month trial of moderate intensity exercise versus usual care in postmenopausal women with breast cancer, exercisers with higher APOE gene methylation showed improved cognitive outcomes.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 102 women · 26 weeks · 2026PostmenopausalPubMed
In a 6-month RCT, postmenopausal women doing aerobic exercise showed greater improvement in executive function than those doing stretching/toning or premenopausal women.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 93 women · 26 weeks · 2026Midlife womenPubMed
In 72 postmenopausal women, 16 weeks of aerobic exercise alone or combined with whole-body vibration improved working-memory accuracy and brain signal markers, with vibration showing broader effects.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 72 women · 16 weeks · 2026PostmenopausalPubMed
Perimenopausal women did six weeks of high-intensity resistance training with or without creatine; creatine was linked to higher sleep consistency and prefrontal oxygenation gains versus placebo.
Mixed resultsRandomised trial · 51 women · 6 weeks · 2026PerimenopausalPubMed
An 8 week high-intensity functional exercise program improved physical performance, dual-task performance and menopausal symptom scores in postmenopausal women aged 50 to 65 compared with controls.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 40 women · 8 weeks · 2026PostmenopausalPubMed
In 136 postmenopausal breast cancer survivors, more moderate to vigorous physical activity measured by accelerometer was linked to faster information processing speed, especially among overweight women.
Reported an improvementCross-sectional study · 136 women · 2015PostmenopausalCited 42 timesPubMed
In 47 postmenopausal women, a 12 week dual-task Pilates plus cognitive stimulation program improved verbal fluency, memory, leg strength and balance compared to baseline.
Reported an improvementControlled trial · 47 women · 12 weeks · 2022PostmenopausalCited 3 timesPubMed
Postmenopausal breast cancer survivors with higher physical activity levels showed better performance on executive function and attention tests than less active survivors.
Reported an improvementCross-sectional study · 136 women · 2015PostmenopausalCited 35 timesPubMed
In 73 postmenopausal women with early breast cancer, higher daily steps, activity levels and fitness were associated with better attention, memory and psychomotor speed on cognitive tests.
Reported an improvementCross-sectional study · 73 women · 2021PostmenopausalCited 16 timesPubMed
A review reported that postmenopausal women taking high dose creatine may gain skeletal muscle size and function, with favorable bone effects when combined with resistance training.
Direction not statedOther · 2021PostmenopausalCited 62 timesPubMed
This narrative review summarized medical literature finding that regular exercise in midlife and postmenopausal women is linked with reduced obesity, cancer, dementia, mood symptoms, and osteoporosis.
Reported an improvementOther · 2015Midlife womenCited 56 timesPubMed
In 93 midlife women aged 35 to 63, regular exercise, especially resistance training, was associated with faster reaction time and better working memory under high cognitive load.
Reported an improvementCross-sectional study · 93 women · 2026Midlife womenPubMed
A trial protocol describes 168 sedentary overweight postmenopausal women randomised to interactive video dance, brisk walking, or delayed control, measuring adherence and cognitive function at six months.
Direction not statedOther · 168 women · 26 weeks · 2012PostmenopausalCited 8 timesPubMed
A narrative review reported that physical exercise, especially combined physical cognitive training, was linked to cognitive benefits in obese individuals with or without menopause.
Reported an improvementOther · 2022PostmenopausalCited 9 timesPubMed
A review on menopause and cognition stated that strength training and regular aerobic exercise, alongside diet and hormone therapy, may help support cognitive resilience in postmenopausal women.
Direction not statedOther · 2026PostmenopausalCited 3 timesPubMed
A planned 18 week yoga program will be tested against a waitlist control for musculoskeletal complaints in women on endocrine therapy for breast cancer, with results not yet reported.
Direction not statedOther · 140 women · 18 weeks · 2026PostmenopausalPubMed
A review described how regular physical activity including aerobic exercise, resistance training and yoga in midlife women supports cognition, sleep, mood and reduces chronic disease risk.
Reported an improvementOther · 2025Midlife womenCited 1 timesPubMed
A review reports that aerobic, resistance and multimodal exercise after menopause are associated with improved executive function, memory, attention and overall cognition.
Reported an improvementOther · 2026PostmenopausalPubMed