Effect of exercise on obesity among postmenopausal women: A Systematic Review
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.46858/vimsjpt.7202Keywords:
: Postmenopausal, women, obesity, resistance training, body mass indexAbstract
Background: Obesity is highly prevalent among postmenopausal women due to estrogen deficiency and age-related metabolic changes, predisposing them to cardiometabolic complications. Exercise is a widely promoted non-pharmacological strategy; however, evidence regarding its effectiveness across different modalities remains inconsistent.
Objective: To systematically review randomized controlled trials evaluating the effect of exercise interventions on obesity-related outcomes among postmenopausal women.
Materials and Methods: A systematic search of PubMed and Google Scholar was conducted for English-language randomized controlled trials published between January 2015 and December 2025. Studies included postmenopausal women receiving exercise-only interventions (aerobic, resistance, high-intensity interval training, or combined) compared with non-exercise controls, reporting obesity-related outcomes. Study selection followed PRISMA guidelines, and quality was assessed using the PEDro scale.
Results: Six trials met inclusion criteria with moderate methodological quality (PEDro scores 5–7). Aerobic, resistance, high-intensity interval, and combined training produced reductions in total and trunk fat, visceral adiposity, and waist circumference, with improvements or preservation of fat-free mass compared with control conditions. High-intensity interval or combined protocols showed greater effects on abdominal and visceral fat.
Conclusion: Exercise interventions are effective in improving obesity-related outcomes in postmenopausal women, with high-intensity interval and combined aerobic–resistance training demonstrating particularly favorable changes in abdominal and visceral adiposity. Larger, rigorously designed trials are needed to optimize exercise prescriptions in this population.
Keywords: Postmenopausal, women, obesity, resistance training, body mass index
References
1. World Health Organization. (2023). Obesity and overweight. Geneva: WHO. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/obesity-and-overweight (DOI not available — WHO fact sheets typically do not have DOIs; use URL)
2. Toth, M. J., Tchernof, A., Sites, C. K., & Poehlman, E. T. (2000). Menopause-related changes in body fat distribution. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 904(1), 502–506. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1749-6632.2000.tb06506.x
3. Lovejoy, J. C. (1998). The influence of sex hormones on obesity across the female life span. Journal of Women’s Health, 7(10), 1247–1256. https://doi.org/10.1089/jwh.1998.7.1247
4. Carr, M. C. (2003). The emergence of the metabolic syndrome with menopause. The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, 88(6), 2404–2411. https://doi.org/10.1210/jc.2003-030242
5. Kapoor, E., Collazo-Clavell, M. L., & Faubion, S. S. (2017). Weight gain in women at midlife: Pathophysiology and management. Mayo Clinic Proceedings, 92(10), 1552–1558. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mayocp.2017.08.004
6. Swift, D. L., Johannsen, N. M., Lavie, C. J., Earnest, C. P., & Church, T. S. (2014). The role of exercise in weight loss and maintenance. Progress in Cardiovascular Diseases, 56(4), 441–447. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pcad.2013.09.012
7. Nelson, M. E., Rejeski, W. J., Blair, S. N., Duncan, P. W., Judge, J. O., King, A. C., et al. (2007). Physical activity and public health in older adults: Recommendation from the American College of Sports Medicine and the American Heart Association. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 39(8), 1435–1445. https://doi.org/10.1249/mss.0b013e3180616aa2
8. Westcott, W. L. (2012). Resistance training is medicine: Effects of strength training on health. Current Sports Medicine Reports, 11(4), 209–216. https://doi.org/10.1249/JSR.0b013e31825dabb8
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Ganvir Shyam, Soni Nandini , Ingle Pratik, Chandak Akanksha
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
