Impact of Various Kinds of Exercise on Metabolic Parameters in Healthy Post-Menopausal Women: A Systematic Review of...

Changes in hormonal patterns transitioning into menopause put women at risk for developing metabolic syndrome (MetS). Sedentary behavior and low levels of physical activity can both contribute to this risk factor. There are plausible pathways through which physical activity might provide these important health-enhancing attributes, especially regarding MetS risk factors. Nevertheless, it is not clear yet if different intensities or modalities of exercise affect MetS risk factors and their subsequent development in postmenopausal women. This systematic review was conducted to investigate the effects of exercise training on the parameters of MetS in postmenopausal women. This systematic review utilized PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Cochrane as electronic databases to gather evidence using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses methodology. We searched for the articles using the selected keywords and Boolean terms. This review incorporated randomized controlled trials that met specific, predefined inclusion criteria. The search yielded 12,217 titles and abstracts, subsequently narrowing down to 48 potentially relevant publications. Sixteen of those studies satisfied the inclusion criteria. Quality assessment of articles was performed via the Risk of Bias 2.0 Cochrane tool. All studies examined the effect of different forms of exercise on metabolic factors, including blood pressure (BP), blood sugar, lipid profile, and waist circumference (WC) in postmenopausal women. In particular, the interventional groups had significantly better scores than the control group for all these measures. Concerning metabolic outcome results, in nine studies, the intervention group had a significant change in BP, and lipid profiles in 10 studies, blood sugar in 3 studies, and WC in 5 studies included the findings. Exercise may improve plasma lipid profile, BP, and cardiovascular risk factors in postmenopausal women. Healthcare practitioners should advise regular exercise to postmenopausal women for maintaining well-being and avoiding illness.