Breast cancer surgery patients did an 8-month exercise program delivered face to face or by phone, reporting better quality of life, fitness and fatigue than usual care, with no difference in other side effects.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 194 women · 32 weeks · 2013Midlife womenCited 146 timesPubMed
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 5 RCTs in overweight and obese postmenopausal women found long-term physical activity interventions improved adiposity and physical capacity, while mental health outcomes did not change significantly.
Reported an improvementSystematic review · 2016PostmenopausalCited 33 timesPubMed
Over 12 weeks, 83 inactive postmenopausal breast cancer survivors using an activity tracker with coaching increased moderate to vigorous activity and reduced sitting time versus controls.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 83 women · 12 weeks · 2019PostmenopausalCited 125 timesPubMed
A systematic review of seventeen studies found physical activity was associated with improved overall and breast cancer specific survival, with possibly greater benefit in older or postmenopausal women.
Reported an improvementSystematic review · 2013Midlife womenCited 32 timesPubMed
A meta-analysis of 20 randomized trials in postmenopausal women found exercise based rehabilitation reduced vasomotor symptoms but showed no significant pooled effect on BMI, blood pressure, or physical performance.
No difference foundMeta-analysis · 2026PostmenopausalPubMed
Postmenopausal women did 6 months of moderate intensity exercise, and weight loss and aerobic fitness both improved, with some variation by FTO genotype.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 234 women · 26 weeks · 2010PostmenopausalCited 48 timesPubMed
A review of 14 RCTs of physical activity programs in premenopausal and postmenopausal women found all studies reported improvement in at least one cardiorespiratory fitness or cardiovascular risk variable.
Reported an improvementSystematic review · 2022Midlife womenCited 9 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
In 906 women evaluated for suspected heart disease, higher self-reported physical fitness scores were linked to less coronary artery disease and fewer cardiovascular events over about four years.
Reported an improvementCohort study · 906 women · 2004Midlife womenCited 203 timesPubMed
In postmenopausal women, six months of aerobic training combined with higher habitual daily steps produced greater reductions in waist circumference and weight than aerobic training with lower daily steps.
No difference foundRandomised trial · 325 women · 26 weeks · 2012PostmenopausalCited 19 timesPubMed
Female cancer survivors averaging age 52 did a year of supervised aerobic plus resistance training or home-based activity, with the fitness center group showing greater treadmill time and heart rate recovery gains.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 154 women · 52 weeks · 2017Midlife womenCited 19 timesPubMed
A church-based physical activity program for sedentary midlife women aged 35 to 65 increased energy expenditure and aerobic fitness compared with comparison groups.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 42 women · 2005Midlife womenCited 28 timesPubMed
Overweight postmenopausal women in a 48-month lifestyle programme who increased activity and lost weight showed faster 400-meter walk times than those who did not.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 508 women · 192 weeks · 2011PostmenopausalCited 13 timesPubMed
Sedentary middle-aged women did a 16-week lifestyle walking intervention; it increased walking and quality of life but did not change antibody response to flu vaccination.
Direction not statedRandomised trial · 89 women · 16 weeks · 2013Midlife womenCited 15 timesPubMed
In a 9-year follow-up of peri-menopausal women from an exercise trial, hormone therapy use, not the original exercise program, was linked to maintained bone mineral content, while fitness declined with age regardless.
Reported a worseningRandomised trial · 80 women · 468 weeks · 2005PerimenopausalCited 16 timesPubMed
In sedentary postmenopausal women, 12 weeks of step-counting programs increased daily steps and activity but changed only body mass index among clinical outcomes measured.
Direction not statedRandomised trial · 115 women · 12 weeks · 2020PostmenopausalCited 9 timesPubMed
In postmenopausal women, a low-fat dietary intervention that also increased physical activity reduced age-related decline in physical functioning over 12 years.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 48,835 women · 624 weeks · 2024PostmenopausalCited 1 timesPubMed
Postmenopausal women with rheumatoid arthritis did a 16 week Tai Chi based activity program and showed improved grip strength, walking speed, disease activity and quality of life versus usual care.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 62 women · 16 weeks · 2023PostmenopausalCited 6 timesPubMed
Previously sedentary postmenopausal women aged 45 to 64 who completed a 20-week exercise plus health promotion program reported improved quality of life, mental well-being, weight, fitness and flexibility versus controls, sustained to 12 months.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 20 weeks · 2017PostmenopausalCited 16 timesPubMed
Previously sedentary postmenopausal women who completed a supervised 20-week multicomponent exercise program showed improved quality of life, mental well-being, weight, fitness and flexibility, maintained through 12-month follow-up.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 20 weeks · 2017PostmenopausalCited 15 timesPubMed
Women with menopause symptoms did an unsupervised physical activity program four times weekly for six months, and the intervention improved cardiorespiratory fitness, lean muscle mass and quality of life cost effectively.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 151 women · 26 weeks · 2015Midlife womenCited 4 timesPubMed
In 101 postmenopausal women with obesity, severe short-term energy restriction led to greater physical activity levels at 6 months than moderate restriction, though differences were weight-dependent.
Direction not statedRandomised trial · 101 women · 156 weeks · 2022PostmenopausalCited 3 timesPubMed
Researchers compared body composition and fat burning during exercise in pre, peri and postmenopausal women and found lower fat oxidation during exercise in postmenopausal women.
Mixed resultsCross-sectional study · 72 women · 2022Midlife womenCited 33 timesPubMed
A six month community exercise program for perimenopausal and menopausal women improved quality of life and physical condition, especially aerobic fitness, strength and balance, versus inactive controls.
Reported an improvementControlled trial · 26 weeks · 2022Midlife womenCited 6 timesPubMed
Over 20 months, middle-aged women with low cardiorespiratory fitness at baseline had more than three times the risk of gaining 3 kg or more compared with highly fit women.
Direction not statedCohort study · 257 women · 87 weeks · 2010Midlife womenCited 2 timesPubMed
In 492 postmenopausal women, slower walk times and lower physical activity were associated with higher BMI, waist size, and markers of subclinical cardiovascular disease.
Direction not statedCross-sectional study · 492 women · 2007PostmenopausalCited 16 timesPubMed
In 137 overweight, sedentary postmenopausal women, a cross-sectional study found higher physical activity energy expenditure was linked to better insulin sensitivity and lower metabolic syndrome risk.
Reported an improvementCross-sectional study · 137 women · 2008PostmenopausalCited 17 timesPubMed
In midlife women, a 6 month program using activity sensors and social connectivity increased aerobic exercise from 63 to 132 minutes per week, maintained at 6 months.
Reported an improvementBefore-and-after study · 26 weeks · 2016Midlife womenCited 30 timesPubMed
In 208 postmenopausal women aged 49 to 79, researchers found cardiorespiratory fitness was lower with greater body fat and more time since menopause.
Reported a worseningCross-sectional study · 208 women · 2011PostmenopausalCited 8 timesPubMed
226 menopausal women who exercised regularly improved functional motor capacity more often than non-exercisers at 6 and 12 months, a retrospective study found.
Reported an improvementControlled trial · 226 women · 52 weeks · 1997Midlife womenPubMed
In a 3 month home-based internet physical-cognitive exercise program for middle-aged obese women, body weight and BMI decreased while fitness and lower limb muscle power improved, with high adherence.
Reported an improvementBefore-and-after study · 33 women · 12 weeks · 2023Midlife womenCited 1 timesPubMed
In 175 postmenopausal women, insufficient physical activity was the strongest predictor of slow gait speed, with nearly four times higher odds of functional decline than active women.
Reported a worseningCross-sectional study · 175 women · 2025PostmenopausalPubMed
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.
Reported an improvementOther · 1991Midlife womenCited 29 timesPubMed