A meta-analysis of 19 studies found resistance training combined with vitamin D supplementation had a positive effect on body composition and physical activity capacity in middle-aged women with sarcopenia.
Reported an improvementMeta-analysis · 2021Midlife womenCited 6 timesPubMed
Early postmenopausal women doing 12 months of jumping exercise, with or without alendronate, showed no change in spine or hip bone density but improved leg power, balance and cardiorespiratory fitness.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 164 women · 52 weeks · 2003Early postmenopausalCited 117 timesPubMed
Postmenopausal women aged 65 plus took ultra-low-dose estrogen or placebo with calcium and vitamin D for 3 years, with no change found in muscle mass, body fat or physical performance.
No difference foundRandomised trial · 167 women · 156 weeks · 2005PostmenopausalCited 40 timesPubMed
In sedentary postmenopausal women, 12 weeks of combined endurance and resistance training improved body composition, performance and insulin sensitivity, with no added benefit from DHEA supplementation.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 31 women · 12 weeks · 2008PostmenopausalCited 49 timesPubMed
Over 14 weeks, postmenopausal women doing circuit resistance training with energy-restricted diets and calcium or vitamin D supplements showed improved strength, aerobic capacity and varying body composition changes by diet and supplement combination.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 128 women · 14 weeks · 2020PostmenopausalCited 22 timesPubMed
In 244 women aged 45 to 65 doing a 4-month resistance exercise program, adding a fortified milk drink gave extra gains in lean mass, bone content and balance but not in muscle strength versus exercise with placebo.
Direction not statedRandomised trial · 216 women · 16 weeks · 2020Midlife womenCited 14 timesPubMed
In 85 middle-aged women, 12 weeks of Zumba training improved mobility, gait speed and lower body endurance, with caffeine supplementation further boosting these gains except for dynamic balance.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 85 women · 12 weeks · 2024Midlife womenCited 8 timesPubMed
Postmenopausal women did 10 weeks of resistance training with normal or higher protein intake; higher protein gave a small added gain in walking speed but not strength or lean mass quality.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 47 women · 10 weeks · 2019PostmenopausalCited 10 timesPubMed
Postmenopausal women did 8 weeks of resistance training 3 times weekly, and both protein timing groups gained lean mass, strength, and walking performance with no difference between groups.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 34 women · 8 weeks · 2020PostmenopausalCited 9 timesPubMed
Nine middle-aged women with depression did 7 days of home-based interval walking training with or without a supplement, and the supplement group showed reduced depression scores.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 9 women · 1 weeks · 2018Midlife womenCited 12 timesPubMed
In healthy older women, 8 weeks of resistance training combined with fish oil increased handgrip strength and lowered blood pressure and inflammatory markers more than resistance training with placebo.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 20 women · 8 weeks · 2023PostmenopausalCited 8 timesPubMed
Postmenopausal women performed handgrip exercise under blood flow restriction after taking nitrate supplement or placebo, and researchers found nitrate lengthened time to fatigue.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 13 women · 2022PostmenopausalCited 7 timesPubMed
In 40 overweight or obese postmenopausal women with low vitamin D, 8 weeks of water-based aerobic training with vitamin D3 improved BMI, grip strength, balance and gait speed more than either alone.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 40 women · 8 weeks · 2025PostmenopausalCited 5 timesPubMed
Fourteen postmenopausal women aged 50 to 65 took beetroot juice nitrate or placebo for eight days; a 6-minute walk test improved with nitrate but other performance tests did not differ.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 14 women · 1 weeks · 2024PostmenopausalCited 6 timesPubMed
In 24 postmenopausal women, an 8-week circuit exercise program combined with preworkout beetroot juice improved walk test distance and aerobic capacity more than exercise alone.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 24 women · 8 weeks · 2024PostmenopausalCited 5 timesPubMed
Early postmenopausal women did 12 months of exercise with or without alendronate; exercise raised muscle power, balance and aerobic capacity but gains faded 15 months after stopping.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 102 women · 65 weeks · 2004Early postmenopausalCited 5 timesPubMed
Early postmenopausal women with low bone density did a 14 month high-impact, strength and endurance program and had increased lumbar spine bone density, strength and fitness versus controls.
Reported an improvementControlled trial · 100 women · 60 weeks · 2003Early postmenopausalCited 34 timesPubMed
In women aged 40-60, 12 weeks of strength training with or without fortified milk improved muscle mass, strength and physical function after a prior inactivity period, regardless of menopause status.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 83 women · 12 weeks · 2025Midlife womenCited 1 timesPubMed
In 47 obese middle-aged women, 8 weeks of HIIT improved cardiorespiratory endurance but increased waist circumference, while adding probiotics preserved the endurance benefit and reduced hip circumference.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 47 women · 8 weeks · 2024Midlife womenCited 1 timesPubMed
In 378 postmenopausal women across four intervention studies including hormones, exercise and nutrition, those classified as weak gained more grip strength and physical performance over six months.
Reported an improvementOther · 378 women · 26 weeks · 2015PostmenopausalCited 40 timesPubMed