A review of 52 studies in overweight middle-aged and older adults found exercise, mainly aerobic training, helped preserve fat-free mass during weight loss from calorie restriction, more than restriction alone.
Reported an improvementSystematic review · 2010PostmenopausalCited 262 timesPubMed
In 101 postmenopausal women with obesity over 12 months, severe energy restriction caused greater weight and fat loss than moderate restriction but also greater hip bone density loss, with no difference in handgrip strength.
Reported a worseningRandomised trial · 101 women · 52 weeks · 2019PostmenopausalCited 103 timesPubMed
Overweight postmenopausal women on a 12 week calorie restricted diet with added aerobic and resistance exercise lost more fat and preserved lean mass compared to diet alone.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 118 women · 12 weeks · 1993PostmenopausalCited 155 timesPubMed
Overweight postmenopausal women lost weight over 16 weeks via diet or mainly exercise, and exercise produced greater fat loss, preserved lean mass, and some differences in sex hormones compared to diet.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 243 women · 16 weeks · 2015PostmenopausalCited 66 timesPubMed
In 107 overweight postmenopausal women over 6 months, adding resistance training to calorie restriction reduced body fat more but did not further improve lipids, insulin or inflammation markers versus diet alone.
No difference foundRandomised trial · 107 women · 26 weeks · 2009PostmenopausalCited 87 timesPubMed
Obese postmenopausal women did 12 weeks of low-intensity resistance training with or without diet, and researchers found resistance training combined with diet improved arterial stiffness and muscle strength while preserving lean mass.
Mixed resultsRandomised trial · 41 women · 12 weeks · 2013PostmenopausalCited 79 timesPubMed
Obese postmenopausal women aged 55 to 75 did 3 months of resistance training, caloric restriction, both or neither, and resistance training alone improved physical capacity scores more than the other groups.
No difference foundRandomised trial · 48 women · 12 weeks · 2009PostmenopausalCited 70 timesPubMed
Overweight postmenopausal women did 12 months of diet, aerobic exercise, or both, and aerobic exercise preserved lean mass while diet alone reduced it.
Mixed resultsRandomised trial · 439 women · 52 weeks · 2013PostmenopausalCited 38 timesPubMed
Overweight postmenopausal women did a 12 month weight loss program with aerobic exercise plus vitamin D3 or placebo, and vitamin D did not improve lean mass or bone density but leg strength decreased more.
No difference foundRandomised trial · 218 women · 52 weeks · 2016PostmenopausalCited 38 timesPubMed
Older overweight women did resistance training 3 days a week for 16 weeks during calorie restriction and preserved fat-free mass compared with a sedentary group losing the same weight.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 16 women · 16 weeks · 2009PostmenopausalCited 51 timesPubMed
A systematic review of 34 studies in postmenopausal women found strength training improved body composition, muscle strength and bone density, while added protein gave no extra strength benefit.
No difference foundSystematic review · 1,541 participants pooled · 2026PostmenopausalPubMed
Postmenopausal women aged 50 to 70 in a 20 week diet and aerobic exercise weight loss trial lost less lean mass when they ate more protein during caloric restriction.
Mixed resultsRandomised trial · 20 weeks · 2008PostmenopausalCited 63 timesPubMed
Postmenopausal women followed a 12-month dairy, calcium and vitamin D plus lifestyle counseling program, calcium alone, or usual diet; the lifestyle group showed less loss of leg lean mass than the other groups.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 101 women · 52 weeks · 2009PostmenopausalCited 23 timesPubMed
Obese postmenopausal women did low-intensity resistance training with slow movement, diet, or both for 12 weeks; resistance training prevented muscle loss seen with diet alone.
Mixed resultsRandomised trial · 41 women · 12 weeks · 2013PostmenopausalCited 25 timesPubMed
In overweight postmenopausal women, 4 weeks of diet with or without resistance training did not improve insulin-stimulated glucose disposal, though resistance training preserved muscle mass.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 19 women · 4 weeks · 2001PostmenopausalCited 30 timesPubMed
In a 12-week trial, 55 postmenopausal women doing resistance training, with or without a high-protein diet, increased skeletal muscle mass and strength more than diet alone or control.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 55 women · 12 weeks · 2024PostmenopausalCited 10 timesPubMed
Overweight postmenopausal women who lost weight with or without aerobic exercise over 6 months and were followed for a year showed similar bone density loss in both groups.
Reported a worseningRandomised trial · 52 weeks · 2021PostmenopausalCited 13 timesPubMed
Overweight postmenopausal women did 12 weeks of a restrictive diet with or without aerobic and anaerobic exercise, and authors found exercise plus diet increased muscle fiber area and oxidative capacity, unlike diet alone.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 69 women · 12 weeks · 1996PostmenopausalCited 9 timesPubMed
In 40 overweight postmenopausal women on a short energy restricted diet, a 35g whey protein dose after resistance exercise maximised muscle protein synthesis, with no extra benefit from 60g.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 40 women · 1 weeks · 2023PostmenopausalCited 3 timesPubMed
Over 12 weeks, postmenopausal women doing Nordic walking with high protein intake and time-restricted eating showed the largest gains in handgrip strength and physical performance.
Mixed resultsRandomised trial · 96 women · 12 weeks · 2026PostmenopausalPubMed
Perimenopausal women given diet guidance plus resistance exercise for three months showed reduced body fat and waist circumference and increased skeletal muscle weight compared to other groups.
Reported an improvementControlled trial · 78 women · 12 weeks · 2021PerimenopausalCited 6 timesPubMed
Overweight postmenopausal women did combined aerobic and anaerobic exercise plus diet for 12 weeks and lost more fat with preserved lean mass versus diet alone.
No difference foundRandomised trial · 118 women · 12 weeks · 1994PostmenopausalPubMed
A review reported that calcium supplementation plus aerobic training increased femoral neck cortical bone density in postmenopausal women, while exercise also increased trabecular bone in the spine.
Mixed resultsOther · 1998Midlife womenCited 25 timesPubMed
A 12-week RCT protocol will compare time-restricted eating alone or with resistance training against calorie restriction plus resistance training, measuring muscle quantity and quality in postmenopausal women with overweight or obesity.
Direction not statedOther · 78 women · 12 weeks · 2025PostmenopausalCited 2 timesPubMed