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

Background and Aims: 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. Materials and Methods: 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). Results: 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. Conclusion: 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.