In the authors' words
“Short-term Nordic walking training induced a significant increase in skeletal muscle mass (P=0.007), skeletal muscle index (P=0.007), strength index of the knee extensor (P=0.016), flexor (P<0.001), functional mobility (P<0.001), and functional performance (P<0.001) and a significant decrease in body mass (P=0<006), body mass index (P<0.001), and percent body fat (P<0.001) in participants.”
What was measured
- Muscle mass Reported an improvement
- Muscle strength Reported an improvement
- Balance and falls Reported an improvement
- Body fat and weight Reported an improvement
About the study
- Type
- Controlled trial
- Who took part
- Postmenopausal, low bone density
- How many
- 45
- How long
- 12 weeks
- Exercise
- Walking
- Cited
- 33 times, per Europe PMC
- PubMed ID
- 27942207
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 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.
- A meta-analysis of 8 trials found walking programs of at least 4 weeks reduced BMI, body weight and body fat percentage in previously inactive perimenopausal and postmenopausal women.
- Sedentary, overweight postmenopausal women doing a year of moderate-intensity exercise, mostly walking, lost more body weight and body fat than a stretching control group.
- Postmenopausal women with a prior arm fracture did self-paced brisk walking for 2 years, and researchers found a small increase in hip bone density but more falls than controls.