Introduction: Menopause is associated with increased risk for cardiovascular diseases, weight gain, and a progressive reduction in insulin sensitivity in women. It has been postulated that this is due to diminished estradiol secretion. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the effect of combination exercise training on body mass index, body fat percentage, heart rate, and levels of serum cortisol and estradiol in overweight and obese postmenopausal women with blood glucose disorder.

Materials and Methodgy: This semi-experimental study had a pretest-posttest design. Twenty-two untrained, sedentary, and apparently healthy postmenopausal women with the mean age of 55.7±4.82 years, mean fasting blood sugar level of 108±7.8 mg/dl, and impaired fasting blood glucose (FBS: 100-126 mg/dl) were entered into this eight-week randomized, controlled study. The participants were assigned to intervention (n=12) and control (n=10) groups. The intervention group performed combination resistance-aerobic exercise training three days a week, while the control group performed no formal exercise. Pre- and post-intervention, body mass index, body fat percentage, heart rate, and serum cortisol and estradiol levels were measured. Analysis of covariance was used to analyze the hypothesis.

Results: Body mass index, body fat percentage, resting systolic and diastolic blood pressure, and heart rate significantly reduced after training (P=0.001). Serum estradiol significantly elevated (13.21±2.95 vs 16.94±3.24 pg/ml; P=0.002) and serum cortisol significantly diminished (186.4±59.36 vs 135.19±22.4 nmol/l; P=0.001).

Conclusion: Combination resistance-aerobic exercise probably results in reduced body mass index, body fat percentage, heart rate variable, and serum cortisol; whereas it increased serum estradiol among overweight and obese postmenopausal women with impaired fasting blood glucose..