Why the study?
Cardiorespiratory fitness and muscular strength decline with age and menopause, posing CVD risks, but previous meta-analyses on exercise benefits in post-menopausal women remain inconclusive.
Does exercise training improve cardiorespiratory fitness and muscular strength in post-menopausal women?
Population
7,141 post-menopausal women across 129 RCTs
Comparison
Exercise training vs control
Design
Systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials
Key result
Exercise training effectively increased cardiorespiratory fitness (SMD 1.15) and lower-body muscular strength (SMD 1.06) in post-menopausal women compared to non-exercise controls.
Authors
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Supports recommending exercise training for post-menopausal women; confirms large effects on fitness and strength from Level 1 evidence.
Meta-Analysis (n=7,141)
Does exercise training improve cardiorespiratory fitness and muscular strength in post-menopausal women?
Effect estimate: SMD 1.15 (95% CI 0.87, 1.42)
p-value: p=0.001
Exercise training, including aerobic and resistance modalities, significantly improves cardiorespiratory fitness and muscular strength in post-menopausal women, offering potential cardioprotective benefits.
Khalafi et al. (2023) conducted a meta-analysis in Post-menopausal women (n=7,141). Exercise training vs. Non-exercise control was evaluated on Cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) (SMD 1.15, 95% CI 0.87, 1.42, p=0.001). Exercise training effectively increased cardiorespiratory fitness (SMD 1.15) and lower-body muscular strength (SMD 1.06) in post-menopausal women compared to non-exercise controls.