Body composition, physical activity, and menopause symptoms: how do they relate?

Objective This study characterized the impact of physical activity (light, moderate, and vigorous [VIG] active minutes per day) and body composition (percent body fat [%BF] and fat-free mass index) on total menopausal symptoms (TMSs) in 72 premenopausal, perimenopausal (PERI), or postmenopausal women. Methods Activity minutes were collected from wearable fitness trackers. Body composition was evaluated using a whole-body dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry scan. TMSs were quantified using The North American Menopause Society Questionnaire. Results Significant associations were observed between TMSs and %BF (r = 0.464, P < 0.001) and VIG (r = -0.245, P = 0.038). %BF and VIG were significant predictors for TMSs across groups (R-2 = 0.146 and R-2 = 0.092, respectively), but only %BF maintained for PERI (R-2 = 0.421, P < 0.001) Conclusions %BF predicted nearly half of the variance in PERI TMSs, whereas VIG predicted 9% of the sample variance, demonstrating an important influence of body fat accumulation and intense physical activity in the menopause transition. High-intensity exercise interventions to alleviate body composition changes may also reduce menopausal-related symptoms for PERI women.