The Effects of Aerobic Training on Pulmonary Function in Postmenopausal Women

Abstract Purpose: the menopausal transition is associated with a series of physiological changes that can be linked impairment of respiratory function. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of aerobic training on pulmonary function in healthy postmenopausal women. Method: Nineteen healthy postmenopausal women were selected by convenience sampling method and were randomly divided into two active (n=11) and control (n=8) groups. The exercise protocol included aerobic exercise training lasted for 8 weeks and 3 sessions per week. The spirometry test, anthropometric measurement and treadmill test were performed for subjects before and after training program. All statistical analysis was performed with SPSS version 16. General linear-repeated measures for comparison variance of within groups and between groups were used. The level of significance was set at P < 0.05. Results: After 8 weeks of training, anthropometric parameters and VO2max of active group showed a significant increase. Furthermore, aerobic exercise training causes a significant increase in FVC and FEV1 parameters of pulmonary functions after 2 months of training program. Conclusion: It seems that aerobic training leads to increasing the strength and/or endurance of the respiratory muscles. We think that exercise training have improving effects on pulmonary function in postmenopausal women.