The effect of physical activity on metabolic and anthropometric factors in pre and postmenopausal women

The beneficial effect of physical activity on some risk factors improves and promotes the metabolic and physiological factors in individuals. Women who have gone through menopause are at a greater risk. Therefore, the present study aimed to investigate the effect of physical activity on metabolic and anthropometric factors in pre and postmenopausal women.

A total of 77 women participated in this quasi-experimental study. The subjects were non-randomly divided into four groups including premenopausal women [active (n= 18), inactive (n= 17)] and postmenopausal women [active (n = 23), inactive (n = 19)] which had regular activity in the gyms of Rasht, Iran for three 90-minute sessions for at least 6 months. Bouchard Three-Day Physical Activity Record was completed by subjects to assess energy expenditure and to determine levels of physical activity. Then body mass index (BMI), waist-hip ratio (WHR), and body fat percent (BF%) of subjects were measured. Also, systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), low-density lipoprotein (LDL-C), high-density lipoprotein (HDL-C), and TC/HDL-C were measured. Data analysis was performed by one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Tukey’s test using SPSS software (version 20).

The results of this study indicated no significant difference in SBP, DBP, BMI, BF%, and WHR between pre and postmenopausal women (active and inactive). However, significant differences (P≤0/01) were observed in TC, TG, LDL-C, HDL-C, and TC/HDL-C between pre and postmenopausal inactive and active women.

The results of this study revealed that although physical activity failed to affect BMI, weight, or BF%, it could desirably and significantly affect lipid profile in pre and postmenopausal women.