In the authors' words
“These data suggest that women can increase their level of physical activity regardless of BMI and that overweight or obese status is not a barrier to initiating an aerobic, nonaerobic, or strength training exercise routine.”
What was measured
- Sticking with it No difference found
- Body fat and weight Mixed results
About the study
- Type
- Cohort study
- Who took part
- Midlife women, cardiovascular disease, overweight or obesity, hypertension
- How many
- 216
- How long
- 260 weeks
- Exercise
- General physical activity, Resistance training
- Cited
- 2 times, per Europe PMC
- PubMed ID
- 27258570
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 101 trials with 5,697 postmenopausal women found aerobic training reduced fat mass and resistance training increased muscle mass, with combined training offering both benefits.
- A meta-analysis of resistance training in postmenopausal and elderly women, averaging 16 weeks, found small to moderate increases in lean body mass but no significant change in fat mass.
- 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 review of 28 randomised trials in postmenopausal women aged 50 to 65 found walking combined with resistance training could preserve weight and bone density and increase muscle strength.