Managing weight after menopause is about more than just the scale. It is also about fighting chronic, low-grade inflammation, which can linger in the body and affect your health. For women dealing with overweight or obesity, the right kind of movement might be the key to calming this internal fire.
A large analysis of 39 clinical trials involving over 2,700 women shows that different workouts target different inflammatory markers. If you are looking to lower C-reactive protein (CRP), a common marker of inflammation, resistance training (lifting weights) showed the largest reduction. Aerobic exercise, like walking or cycling, also helped lower these levels.
If your goal is to suppress other markers like TNF-alpha or IL-6, combining both resistance and aerobic training might be more effective. This combined approach showed the highest probability of suppressing these specific proteins. Interestingly, none of these exercise types changed systemic leptin levels, a hormone related to hunger and fat storage.
It is important to take these findings with a grain of salt. The certainty of the evidence is currently low to very low, and there was not enough direct evidence to say how high-intensity interval training (HIIT) specifically performs. While these patterns give us great targets to aim for, more high-quality research is needed to confirm exactly how each workout impacts your body.
