Does exercise with diet affect menopause symptoms overall in menopause? What 8 studies found

In a 12-week RCT of early menopausal women, aerobic exercise alone and combined with nutrition education reduced menopause symptom scores and improved quality of life more than control.

Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 108 women · 12 weeks · 2017Midlife womenCited 29 timesPubMed

Postmenopausal women did exercise plus Mediterranean diet, with or without soy isoflavones, for 24 months; the soy group showed greater drops in fat mass, glucose, insulin and inflammation markers.

Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 65 women · 104 weeks · 2012PostmenopausalCited 30 timesPubMed

In 60 women with perimenopausal syndrome, 12 weeks of health education combined with diet and exercise supervision lowered menopausal symptom index scores and increased regular exercise habits versus controls.

Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 60 women · 12 weeks · 2017PerimenopausalCited 19 timesPubMed

Perimenopausal women received education, diet guidance, or diet plus resistance exercise for 3 months; all groups reduced climacteric symptom scores, with the combined group showing broad symptom improvement.

Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 78 women · 12 weeks · 2022PerimenopausalCited 10 timesPubMed

A systematic review of 25 RCTs found exercise and health education programmes may help perimenopausal women manage symptoms, though study quality and results varied widely.

Mixed resultsSystematic review · 2026PerimenopausalPubMed

In 54 menopausal women, combining time-restricted eating with resistance and endurance circuit training reduced menopausal symptoms and improved quality of life more than exercise alone.

Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 54 women · 2025Midlife womenCited 2 timesPubMed

Women over 40 with celiac disease combined a gluten-free diet with resistance exercise for 12 weeks and reported improved urogenital symptoms and higher vigour mood scores versus diet alone.

Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 28 women · 12 weeks · 2022Midlife womenCited 2 timesPubMed

Menopausal women attended eight weekly cognitive-behavioral sessions including relaxation, exercise and diet, and reported significant reductions in physical and psychological symptoms and improved quality of life.

Reported an improvementControlled trial · 28 women · 8 weeks · 2009Midlife womenCited 4 timesPubMed