Eight hours of interval sprinting can reverse negative effects of menopause

A study in menopausal women found that participating in interval sprinting three times a week over two months resulted in significant health benefits. Twenty minutes of sprints on an exercise bike three times a week for eight weeks – eight hours of exercise in total – is all that's needed to reverse some of the negative effects of menopause, a new study by UNSW Sydney medical researchers has found. For the majority of menopausal women who are overweight and don't exercise, menopause is accompanied by a decrease in muscle mass and aerobic fitness and an increase in fat mass, which contributes to the increased rates of type 2 diabetes in postmenopausal women. Interval sprinting exercise, however, can reverse these negative effects of menopause.
"Interval sprinting is a very time-efficient form of exercise which we have seen result in a number of health benefits," says Dr. Yati Boutcher, who led the research. In the study, 40 overweight postmenopausal women were separated in two groups – one that completed the exercise intervention, and one that didn't.