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Background : Menopause is associated with negative cardiovascular adaptations related to estrogen depletion, which could be counteracted by physical exercise (PhE). However, the impact of total adherence-rate (TA) to PhE and sedentary time (SedT) on cardiometabolic profile in this population has not been elucidated. Methods: For 13-weeks, 43 women (57.1 ± 4.7 years) participated in a 4-days-a-week moderate-intensity walking training. They underwent laboratory, anthropometric and echocardiographic assessment, before and after training (T0-T1). Spontaneous physical activity (PhA) was assessed with a portable multisensory device. The sample was divided according to TA to PhE program: <70% ( n = 17) and ≥70% ( n = 26). Results: TA ≥ 70% group experienced a significant T1 improvement of relative wall thickness (RWT), diastolic function, VO2max, cortisol, cortisol/dehydroandrostenedione-sulphate ratio and serum glucose. After adjusting for SedT and 10-min bouts of spontaneous moderate-to-vigorous PhA, TA ≥ 70% showed the most significant absolute change of RWT and diastolic function, body mass index, weight and cortisol. TA ≥ 70% was major predictor of RWT and cortisol improvement. Conclusions: In a group of untrained, postmenopausal women, a high TA to a 13-weeks aerobic PhE program confers a better improvement in cardiometabolic profile, regardless of SedT and PhA levels.

Menopause is associated with adverse changes in coagulation homeostasis. We aimed to investigate the association between objectively measured sedentary behavior (SB) and SB bouts (i.e., number and length of SB bouts) vs. fibrinogen levels in post-menopausal women. Fifty-three post-menopausal women (age 59.8 ± 6.2 years, BMI 27.3 ± 4.4) wore a multisensory device (Sensewear Mini Armband, BodyMedia, Inc., Pittsburgh, PA) for 5 days, to measure SB and physical activity (PA). Blood samples were collected to measure serum fibrinogen. Fibrinogen was directly correlated with SB (r = -0.48, p < 0.01), lying down during awake time (r = -0.50, p < 0.01), and both medium (11-30 mins) and very long bouts (>1 h) of SB (r = -0.59, p < 0.01; r = -0.51, p < 0.01, respectively), and inversely correlated with moderate to vigorous-intensity physical activity (r = -0.39, p < 0.01). Furthermore, fibrinogen was also directly correlated with BMI (r = -0.28, p < 0.05). In postmenopausal women without prevalent cardiovascular disease, the number of prolonged and uninterrupted sedentary bouts is directly correlated with increased fibrinogen levels, regardless of PA and BMI. This result suggests the importance of delivering new strategies to counteract the increase of sedentariness and inactivity of the postmenopausal population.

Objectives: Nordic walking (NW) is widely practiced by postmenopausal women. Its effects are peculiar owing to the involvement of more muscle groups than in traditional walking training (WT). Since mechanical load promotes secretion of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) from both skeletal muscle and muscle endothelium, the aim of the study was to compare the effect of NW and WT on VEGF levels., Method: Thirty postmenopausal women were randomly assigned to NW or WT. Both groups trained 40-50 min/day, three times per week, at a mean intensity of 12 on a 15-category scale of the ratings of perceived exertion. Since VEGF is also released from adipocytes, anthropometric parameters were assessed., Results: NW increased circulating VEGF more than WT (p = 0.041). Furthermore, both study groups exhibited an average decrease in weight (p = 0.023), body mass index (p = 0.024), hip circumference (p = 0.001), and arm fat index, although WT participants had higher values for this index at baseline (p < 0.001) and thus exhibited a greater net decrease compared with the NW participants (p < 0.011)., Conclusions: These data imply that NW increases the level of circulating VEGF more than does traditional walking when the intensity of training is equivalent.

Context: Estrogen deficiency, systemic low-grade inflammation, and reduction of adrenal gland function have central roles in noncommunicable chronic disease (NCD) development. With angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) insertion/deletion (I/D) polymorphism, the deletion variant (DD) is related to higher levels of circulating angiotensin II than I allele carriers (II/ID), which might interact with all of these molecular pathways to increase NCDs risk. On the other hand, physical exercise counteracts the occurrence of NCDs, potentially acting on the same pathways., Objectives: The aim of the study was to investigate the effects of walking training on adrenal steroid and cytokine levels and on cardiovascular parameters in postmenopausal women with ACE I/D genotypes., Methods: Thirty-six (DD = 15, II/ID = 21) sedentary postmenopausal women (mean age, 56 ± 4 y) participated in a 13-week program of walking training at moderate intensity. Heart rate, blood pressure, double product, TNF-α, dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEA-S), and cortisol were evaluated before and after the intervention program., Results: Before walking training, the ACE DD genotype showed significantly higher TNF-α (P = .007) and lower DHEA-S concentrations (P = .022) than the ACE II/ID individuals. After walking training, both subgroups significantly decreased TNF-α plasma levels and cortisol/DHEA-S ratio (P = .001 and P = .016, respectively) and significantly increased DHEA-S levels (P < .001). Moreover, all the cardiovascular parameters were significantly reduced in the ACE DD participants (P ≤ .05), whereas the ACE I-allele carriers showed a decrease in heart rate (P ≤ .05) and the double product (P ≤ .05)., Conclusion: ACE I/D polymorphism is linked to different adrenal steroid and cytokine levels, and ACE I-allele carriers show a better adrenal activity and systemic inflammatory profile. The introduction of walking training positively influences the menopause immune-neuroendocrine changes, independent of ACE I/D genotype.