Impairment of physical exercise capacity in healthy postmenopausal women.
BACKGROUND
Healthy postmenopausal women reveal a series of peripheral vascular abnormalities, whose possible consequences on exercise performance has not been yet elucidated.


METHODS
We studied the response to strenuous exercise in 25 postmenopausal women (mean age 50 +/- 3 years) without cardiovascular risk factors or disease through an integrative cardiopulmonary test.


RESULTS
In comparison with 25 premenopausal subjects matched for age and biophysical characteristics, postmenopausal women showed a lower maximal workload (P < .01) and maximum VO2 (P < .01), an early anaerobic threshold (P < .05), and a lower ratio between increase of VO2 consumption and work rate (P < .01).


CONCLUSIONS
Our results suggest that menopause could represent an important concomitant cause in determining an impairment of exercise capacity. The set of cardiopulmonary abnormalities found in the present study seems to identify the peripheral circulation as the limiting system in postmenopausal women experiencing exercise intolerance. Finally, present findings are in favor of an early introduction of postmenopausal hormone replacement therapy.
Mercuro
Giuseppe
G
Department of Cardiovascular and Neurological Sciences, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Sardinia, Italy. mercuro@pacs.unica.it
Saiu
Francesca
F
Deidda
Martino
M
Mercuro
Silvia
S
Vitale
Cristiana
C
Rosano
Giuseppe M C
GM
D015308:Anaerobic Threshold; D005080:Exercise Test; D017079:Exercise Tolerance / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D010101:Oxygen Consumption; D010809:Physical Fitness / Q000502:physiology*; D017698:Postmenopause / Q000097:blood / Q000502:physiology*