Last update:

   14-Jan-2006
 

Arch Hellen Med, 22(5), September-October 2005, 485-492

ORIGINAL PAPER

Τhe effect of a specific exercise program on the lipid profile
and fitness of postmenopausal women

S. KARAKIRIOU, K. VOLAKLIS, M. KARAKIRIOU, S. TOKMAKIDIS
Democritus University of Thrace, Komotini, Greece

OBJECTIVE To examine the effects of a specific exercise program on the lipid profile and fitness in healthy, early postmenopausal women (<6 years).

METHOD Ten postmenopausal women (aged 53.8±2.8 years) participated in a supervised exercise program for a period of 6 months (two sessions a week of strength training 70% of one repetition maximum, and one session a week of high impact, aerobic exercise 70-85% of HRmax), while ten other postmenopausal women (aged 51.5±5.1 years) served as a control group.

RESULTS At the end of the program, significant decrease was observed in the sum of skinfolds (-6.9%, Ρ<0.05) and the waist to hip ratio (-1.4%, Ρ<0.05) in the exercising group compared with the control group. The control group also presented a 4.07% decrease of HDL-cholesterol levels, whereas the exercising group showed a 5.3% increase (Ρ<0.05). Regarding the triglycerides a 7.2% (Ρ>0.05) decrease was detected in the exercising group and a 15.1% (Ρ>0.05) increase in the control group. Exercise time (9.3±0.6 min vs 10.6±1.2 min, Ρ<0.01) and flexibility (14.3±4.0 cm vs 17.9±3.9 cm, Ρ<0.01) were also significantly improved in the exercising group at the end of the study. Regarding muscular strength, the upper body strength increased significantly by up to 14-64% and the lower by up to 20-27% at the end of the program.

CONCLUSIONS The results indicate that a combined training program of strength and aerobic exercise of six months' duration induces positive adaptations in fitness (endurance, strength, flexibility) and HDL-cholesterol levels, which improve health of postmenopausal women.

Key words: Endurance, Exercise, Flexibility, Lipid profile, Postmenopause, Strength.


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