A meta-analysis of 27 RCTs in women aged 40 to 60 found exercise improved lean body mass and grip and knee strength, with resistance training three times weekly for at least six weeks most effective.
Reported an improvementMeta-analysis · 1,989 participants pooled · 2023Midlife womenCited 10 timesPubMed
A meta-analysis found whey protein combined with resistance training improved biceps strength and lower limb lean mass in postmenopausal women, but had no benefit without resistance training.
Reported an improvementMeta-analysis · 2022PostmenopausalCited 18 timesPubMed
A meta-analysis of seven trials, median 38 weeks, found creatine supplementation, especially with resistance training, modestly increased lean mass and leg-press strength in postmenopausal women without changing bone density.
Reported an improvementMeta-analysis · 608 participants pooled · 2026PostmenopausalCited 2 timesPubMed
A meta-analysis of 11 trials in women aged 60 and over with sarcopenic obesity found exercise reduced body fat percentage and improved muscle mass and handgrip strength, with no change in gait speed.
Reported an improvementMeta-analysis · 532 participants pooled · 2025PostmenopausalCited 1 timesPubMed
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.
Direction not statedMeta-analysis · 2021Midlife womenCited 6 timesPubMed
A meta-analysis of 14 trials with 763 women across reproductive stages found protein, amino acid or creatine supplementation added to exercise did not improve muscle mass or bone density but improved bench press and handgrip strength.
No difference foundMeta-analysis · 763 participants pooled · 2026Midlife womenPubMed
In 113 institutionalized elderly women over 6 months, whole body vibration training did not improve muscle strength, mass or hip bone density beyond vitamin D supplementation alone.
No difference foundRandomised trial · 113 women · 26 weeks · 2011PostmenopausalCited 80 timesPubMed
Overweight postmenopausal women did 6 months of resistance and aerobic exercise with or without soy isoflavones; exercise reduced fat mass and increased lean mass, with no added benefit from isoflavones.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 100 women · 26 weeks · 2011PostmenopausalCited 65 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
In 46 postmenopausal women, 16 weeks of resistance training with or without soy protein increased muscle mass and reduced waist circumference, while soy alone lowered cholesterol and LDL.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 46 women · 16 weeks · 2007PostmenopausalCited 61 timesPubMed
Early postmenopausal women with osteopenia doing high-intensity weight-bearing resistance training three times weekly for about 13 months improved spine bone density, lean mass, body fat, strength and menopausal symptoms versus low-intensity controls.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 54 women · 56 weeks · 2021Early postmenopausalCited 38 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
Over 2 years, postmenopausal women doing resistance training and walking with creatine supplementation showed no extra bone density benefit over placebo, but some bone geometry and lean mass measures improved.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 237 women · 104 weeks · 2023PostmenopausalCited 24 timesPubMed
Postmenopausal women did strength training three times weekly for 12 months, with or without etidronate, and gained muscle strength and lean mass and lost fat, but exercise did not add to bone density gains from the drug.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 48 women · 52 weeks · 2002PostmenopausalCited 46 timesPubMed
In early postmenopausal women doing 24 weeks of strength training, those given a protein and calcium supplement after sessions gained more muscle mass, strength and femoral neck bone density than placebo.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 24 weeks · 2008Early postmenopausalCited 87 timesPubMed
In 72 postmenopausal women, 8 weeks of circuit resistance training at low or moderate intensity, with or without Zataria supplementation, reduced body fat and inflammatory markers RBP-4 and TNF-alpha.
Mixed resultsRandomised trial · 72 women · 8 weeks · 2019PostmenopausalCited 24 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
In 32 postmenopausal women, 16 weeks of resistance training with soy protein added to milk increased muscle strength more than resistance training with milk alone, while muscle mass gains were similar.
No difference foundRandomised trial · 32 women · 16 weeks · 2018PostmenopausalCited 25 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
Postmenopausal women did 10 weeks of resistance training with either higher or standard protein intake; lean mass increased similarly in both groups regardless of protein amount.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 23 women · 10 weeks · 2017PostmenopausalCited 25 timesPubMed
Over 9 months, postmenopausal women doing resistance training gained muscle mass and strength and limited fat gain, while soy isoflavone supplementation alone did not change body composition.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 71 women · 39 weeks · 2010PostmenopausalCited 23 timesPubMed
Overweight or obese postmenopausal women did 6 months of mixed exercise with isoflavone supplement or placebo; the isoflavone group showed greater reductions in fat mass and CRP inflammation than exercise alone.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 34 women · 26 weeks · 2014PostmenopausalCited 24 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.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 216 women · 16 weeks · 2020Midlife womenCited 14 timesPubMed
Postmenopausal women with knee osteoarthritis did 12 weeks of resistance training with creatine or placebo; creatine group showed greater gains in physical function, lean mass and quality of life.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 12 weeks · 2011PostmenopausalCited 52 timesPubMed
Postmenopausal women did 10 weeks of high volume resistance training with or without whey protein, and strength and muscle thickness increased in both groups equally.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 12 women · 10 weeks · 2015PostmenopausalCited 26 timesPubMed
Hypertensive postmenopausal women did low-intensity resistance training with L-citrulline for 8 weeks and showed improved leg blood vessel function, lean mass and leg strength versus placebo.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 24 women · 8 weeks · 2022PostmenopausalCited 18 timesPubMed
Overweight postmenopausal women did 16 weeks of resistance training with or without DHA supplementation, with training maintaining bone mineral content, increasing lean mass and strength, and improving glucose tolerance.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 16 weeks · 2021PostmenopausalCited 36 timesPubMed
Overweight postmenopausal women who did 6 months of combined resistance and aerobic training increased leg and bench press strength and muscle mass index, with no added benefit from isoflavones.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 70 women · 26 weeks · 2013PostmenopausalCited 16 timesPubMed
A systematic review of 12 studies on menopausal sarcopenia reported that 150 minutes per week of aerobic exercise plus resistance training, with protein and vitamin D, was an effective management strategy.
Reported an improvementSystematic review · 2025Midlife womenCited 2 timesPubMed
In 30 postmenopausal women, 8 weeks of resistance training increased muscle mass and strength, with branched-chain amino acid supplementation not adding further benefit.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 30 women · 8 weeks · 2021PostmenopausalCited 13 timesPubMed
In middle-aged women, 12 weeks of HMB plus vitamin D combined with resistance training or sedentary behavior reduced fat within muscle but did not change muscle function.
Mixed resultsRandomised trial · 43 women · 12 weeks · 2022Midlife womenCited 11 timesPubMed
After 6 months of combined aerobic and resistance exercise, postmenopausal women taking phytoestrogens showed greater reductions in weight, fat mass and blood pressure than those on placebo.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 21 women · 26 weeks · 2010PostmenopausalCited 17 timesPubMed
In 31 postmenopausal women given soy or dairy milk for 28 days then a downhill run, soy supplementation did not reduce exercise-induced increases in muscle proteolysis genes.
No difference foundRandomised trial · 31 women · 4 weeks · 2012PostmenopausalCited 12 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
Untrained peri- and postmenopausal women who did 10 weeks of resistance training gained significant strength, with leucine supplementation adding no extra benefit to strength, fat free mass or hormones.
No difference foundRandomised trial · 36 women · 10 weeks · 2020Midlife womenCited 5 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
Peri and postmenopausal women and men did 6 weeks of resistance training with a post-workout supplement or carbohydrate only, and the supplement group gained more fat-free mass and lost more fat and waist circumference.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 20 women · 6 weeks · 2025Midlife womenCited 3 timesPubMed
Thirty-six middle-aged women with sarcopenia did 12 weeks of resistance exercise with or without nitrate supplementation after knee surgery, and nitrate plus exercise improved muscle mass and strength more.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 36 women · 12 weeks · 2025Midlife womenCited 2 timesPubMed
In older women doing 8 weeks of leg resistance training, shatavari supplementation increased training load and shortened muscle relaxation time but did not improve strength more than placebo.
Direction not statedRandomised trial · 22 women · 8 weeks · 2024PostmenopausalCited 2 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
Postmenopausal women with osteosarcopenia did 6 months of supervised resistance training plus nutrition support, improving muscle mass and grip strength more than home exercise, with no difference in bone density.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 34 women · 24 weeks · 2025PostmenopausalCited 1 timesPubMed
43 middle-aged adults including peri and postmenopausal women did 6 weeks of resistance training with a pre-workout supplement or carbohydrate alone, both groups improved body composition and strength similarly.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 43 women · 6 weeks · 2025Midlife womenPubMed
Six early postmenopausal women did leg resistance exercise then received protein and carbohydrate or placebo, with nutrient intake improving leg muscle protein balance afterward.
Reported an improvementControlled trial · 6 women · 2005Early postmenopausalCited 14 timesPubMed
In postmenopausal women, a single bout of resistance exercise combined with whey protein increased muscle protein synthesis later but not over the full measurement period.
Mixed resultsBefore-and-after study · 16 women · 2024PostmenopausalCited 7 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.
Reported an improvementOther · 2021PostmenopausalCited 62 timesPubMed
Breast cancer survivors will do resistance and aerobic exercise with omega-3 supplementation or education for 12 to 24 weeks to test effects on lean body mass; this is a study protocol with no results yet.
Direction not statedOther · 153 women · 24 weeks · 2014Midlife womenCited 12 timesPubMed
Untrained older women doing resistance training with higher habitual protein intake showed greater gains in skeletal muscle mass and strength than those with lower protein intake.
Reported an improvementOther · 70 women · 2019PostmenopausalCited 7 timesPubMed
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 review of postmenopausal women found estrogen or soy isoflavones combined with exercise training may increase bone mineral density more than either alone, and slightly increased lean mass.
Reported an improvementOther · 2008PostmenopausalCited 19 timesPubMed
Ten postmenopausal women did one-legged resistance exercise after taking fermented red clover extract or placebo for 14 days, with no difference in muscle protein markers' response to exercise between treatments.
No difference foundOther · 10 women · 2 weeks · 2020Early postmenopausalCited 8 timesPubMed
This review reports that combining L-citrulline supplementation with structured exercise may reduce arterial stiffness and increase leg muscle strength and lean mass in postmenopausal women.
Reported an improvementOther · 2026PostmenopausalPubMed