In the authors' words
“Overall, the reviewed research showed efficacy of varying intensities of exercise when combined with hypocaloric diet or meal replacement therapy in producing low body weight, low fat, improved insulin sensitivity, glycemic control, and cardio-respiratory fitness.”
What was measured
- Body fat and weight Reported an improvement
- Blood sugar and insulin Reported an improvement
- Blood pressure Reported an improvement
- Fitness Reported an improvement
- Cholesterol and lipids Reported an improvement
About the study
- Type
- Systematic review
- Who took part
- Postmenopausal, overweight or obesity
- Exercise
- Exercise with diet, General physical activity
- Cited
- 9 times, per Europe PMC
- PubMed ID
- 20888077
How to read this. Each line is one study, summarised in plain language from its PubMed abstract, with the authors' own sentence underneath on the study page. A count of studies is not a verdict: trials differ in size, length and quality, and a result in one group of women may not hold in another. Nothing here is medical advice.
Summaries are generated, then checked by machine against the abstract they came from; any summary that could not be matched word for word was left out. Our clinical lead is reviewing the summaries topic by topic, and this note will change when that is done. Corpus last refreshed 2026-11-03. Spotted a mistake? Tell us and we will fix the summary or remove the study.
Similar studies
- A meta-analysis of 20 trials in overweight breast cancer survivors found diet plus exercise programmes reduced weight, BMI and waist size, and improved quality of life.
- A meta-analysis of 22 trials in postmenopausal women with elevated blood pressure found exercise training reduced arterial stiffness, systolic and diastolic blood pressure compared to controls.
- A meta-analysis of 7 RCTs found programmed exercise for 3 to 4 months lowered insulin levels, HOMA-IR, BMI and body fat in postmenopausal women, while longer programs mainly reduced waist circumference.
- A meta-analysis of 17 randomized trials in menopausal women found exercise improved body fat, waist circumference, triglycerides, and lumbar spine bone density compared with no exercise.