Intermittent walking training improves thyroid function and cardiometabolic risk factors in postmenopausal women

This study aimed to investigate the impact of a 10-week moderate intermittent walking training (MIWT) program on thyroid hormone levels and key cardiometabolic markers in obese postmenopausal women.

Thirty-six obese postmenopausal women (body mass index ≥ 30 kg.m^-2, aged 50-60 years) were randomized to either the MIWT group (n = 18) or the control group (CG; n = 18). Participants performed the MIWT program for four sessions per week (five repetitions of the 6-min walking test [6MWT] at 60-80% of the distance covered in the 6-min walking test [6MWD], interspersed by 6 min of active recovery between repetitions). Body composition, thyroid hormones (thyroid stimulating hormone [TSH] and thyroxine-free [FT4]), lipid profile (triglycerides [TRG], total cholesterol [TC], high-density lipoprotein cholesterol [HDL-C] and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol [LDL-C]), blood pressure and aerobic fitness (6MWT) were determined before and after the MIWT.

The MIWT resulted in significant reductions in body composition (p < 0.05), TSH (-5.29%, p = 0.019, d = 0.16), FT4 (-1.84%, p = 0.032, d = 0.28), TRG (-7.29%, p = 0.003, d = 0.27), TC (-4.98%, p = 0.003, d = 0.31), LDL-C (-10.08%, p = 0.003, d = 0.51) and SBP (-2.57%, p = 0.035, d = 0.66), and significant increases in HDL-C (13.36%, p = 0.020, d = 0.52) and 6MWD (2.81%, p = 0.031, d = 0.51).

A 10-week MIWT program modestly improved thyroid hormones, cardiometabolic risk and functional capacity in obese postmenopausal women without adverse effects. MIWT is an accessible and low-impact intervention suitable for integration into routine clinical practice to prevent and manage thyroid-related and cardiometabolic disorders in this high-risk population.