Efeitos do exercício físico em parâmetros cardiometabólicos e funcionais de mulheres na pré e pós-menopausa

Abstract

Introduction: The climacteric period is associated with hormonal changes that lead to cardiovascular and metabolic dysfunctions, increasing the risk of developing chronic diseases. Thus, this thesis aimed to examine the effects of physical exercise on cardiometabolic and functional parameters in premenopausal and postmenopausal women. Methods: This thesis comprised two complementary studies. Study 1 was a meta-analysis that evaluated the effects of physical training on blood pressure in premenopausal and postmenopausal women. The literature search was conducted in the MEDLINE, LILACS, EMBASE, and SPORTDiscus databases, including clinical trials that compared different exercise modalities. Study 2 consisted of a clinical trial involving 80 hypertensive women (37 premenopausal and 43 postmenopausal) who underwent 12 weeks of mat Pilates training (three sessions per week, 50 minutes each). Hemodynamic, metabolic, and functional variables were analyzed before and after the intervention using Generalized Estimating Equations adjusted for age (p < 0.05). Results: In the first study, reductions in systolic and diastolic blood pressure were observed in postmenopausal women, whereas among premenopausal women only diastolic blood pressure showed a significant reduction. In addition, aerobic training promoted greater reductions in blood pressure, particularly in postmenopausal women, although this difference was not statistically significant when compared with resistance training. In the second study, after 12 weeks of mat Pilates training, postmenopausal women showed improvements in diastolic blood pressure variability and increased trunk flexion strength. In both premenopausal and postmenopausal groups, reductions in systolic blood pressure, improved stress reactivity, increased flexibility, greater trunk extension strength, and elevated HDL levels were observed, with no significant differences between groups. Conclusion: The results indicate that physical exercise, particularly aerobic training and mat Pilates, exerts beneficial effects on hemodynamic, metabolic, and functional parameters in premenopausal and postmenopausal women, contributing to improved health in this population.