Reassessing the Best Exercise for the Crucial Postmenopausal and Perimenopausal Years

Abstract

Menopause is characterized by marked changes in the circulating estrogen of the female body.1
As women age, progressively declines in ovarian function lead to a gradual reduction in estrogen secretion that ultimately ceases when menopause is reached.
This transitional time is termed the perimenopausal period and it
occurs approximately within one year of its commencement.2
The
perimenopausal years are crucial for the future health of females
as the observed hormonal alterations can lead to a number of psychophysiological changes that can increase the risk of disease if
not prevented early.2
Specifically, during the perimenopausal years
the diminished concentrations of estrogens, reduce their protective role on health and contribute to significant physiological disturbances.3
Adverse health effects such as reductions in fat-free
mass (sarcopenia), accumulation of body fat and intra-abdominal
visceral fat and associated adverse cardiovascular and metabolic
impairments namely hypertension, atherosclerosis and insulin
resistance are observed.1
Consequently, there is a significantly increased risk in the development of obesity and its comorbidities
namely cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes, that can reduce
the quality of life and dramatically increase the risk of mortality in
older women.