Frontiers in Public Health: Exercise After Menopause (2026)

Tier 2: Professional organization or credentialed expert guidance
Publisher: Frontiers in Public Health · Published: September 13, 2026 · Accessed: September 13, 2026

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Claims this source supports

• Systematic review and meta-analysis pooled 17 randomized controlled trials involving 744 postmenopausal women with sarcopenia (search across six databases to April 1, 2025; PROSPERO registration CRD42024608200).
• Exercise interventions were associated with significant improvement in skeletal muscle mass index in postmenopausal women with sarcopenia.
• Exercise interventions were associated with significant improvements in muscle strength, specifically grip strength and knee extension strength, in the same population.
• Physical function improved as measured by gait speed, the Timed Up and Go test, and single-leg stance; there was no significant difference in body mass index between intervention and control groups.
• The authors state that there are currently no widely available pharmacological treatments for sarcopenia, and conclude that the findings support integrating structured exercise programs into clinical practice for this population.
• The review frames the mechanism as sex-specific: estrogen decline in postmenopausal women contributes to accelerated muscle loss and impaired neuromuscular function, and the prevalence of sarcopenia rises from middle age into the postmenopausal years.