Does walking affect muscle mass in menopause? What 10 studies found

In 75 inactive postmenopausal breast cancer survivors, 6 months of moderate aerobic exercise reduced body fat, increased lean mass, and maintained bone density compared with usual care.

Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 75 women · 26 weeks · 2009PostmenopausalCited 123 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 walked for 30 weeks at different intensities; higher intensity walking above specific thresholds preserved leg bone density and increased leg lean mass.

Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 43 women · 30 weeks · 2007PostmenopausalCited 40 timesPubMed

A review of 6 RCTs found strength training and walking improved bone density and lean mass in early postmenopausal women, but no exercise type improved these outcomes during perimenopause.

Mixed resultsSystematic review · 2025PerimenopausalCited 2 timesPubMed

In postmenopausal women aged around 66, 12 weeks of Nordic walking training changed levels of myostatin, adiponectin, osteocalcin and iron compared with a non-exercising control group.

Direction not statedRandomised trial · 36 women · 12 weeks · 2020PostmenopausalCited 14 timesPubMed

In 15 postmenopausal women with type 2 diabetes, 12 weeks of circuit resistance exercise improved glycemic control, body composition and adipokines more than walking exercise.

Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 15 women · 12 weeks · 2009PostmenopausalCited 13 timesPubMed

In 71 postmenopausal women, 12 weeks of HIIT Nordic walking increased lean mass and lower limb strength, while strength training reduced fat mass and improved upper limb strength and walking speed.

Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 71 women · 12 weeks · 2025PostmenopausalCited 2 timesPubMed

Women aged 63 to 79 with osteopenia or osteoporosis did 12 weeks of Nordic walking three times weekly and showed increased skeletal muscle mass, knee strength, and functional performance versus controls.

Reported an improvementControlled trial · 45 women · 12 weeks · 2016PostmenopausalCited 33 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

Breast cancer survivors within 2 years of menopause did a 16 to 24 week weighted walking programme, which maintained weight and bone markers without significant change overall.

No difference foundBefore-and-after study · 26 women · 24 weeks · 2008Early postmenopausalCited 19 timesPubMed