Structured Exercise Raises Circulating BDNF After Menopause, Meta-Analysis Finds

A meta-analysis of 12 studies involving 351 postmenopausal women found that structured, long-term exercise was associated with higher circulating brain-derived neurotrophic factor, or BDNF, than control conditions. The pooled effect was a standardized mean difference of 0.64, with a 95% confidence interval of 0.11 to 1.17 and a P value of 0.02. The finding identifies an association between sustained exercise and peripheral BDNF concentrations in postmenopausal women, but it does not establish whether the biochemical change produces measurable improvements in cognition, mood, or other clinical outcomes.

The systematic review followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses statement and searched PubMed, Web of Science, EBSCO, and CNKI for relevant studies published from database inception through August 1, 2026. The 12 included trials evaluated chronic exercise programs rather than responses to a single bout of activity. They included 173 participants in intervention groups and 178 in control groups. Review Manager 5.4 was used to calculate standardized mean differences and 95% confidence intervals, while subgroup, sensitivity, and publication-bias analyses examined consistency among studies and possible sources of variation.

Resistance training produced the largest reported subgroup effect, with a standardized mean difference of 1.07, a 95% confidence interval of 0.12 to 2.01, and a P value of 0.03. The subgroup characterized as relying predominantly on anaerobic energy supply had the same reported estimate and uncertainty: a standardized mean difference of 1.07, a 95% confidence interval of 0.12 to 2.01, and a P value of 0.03. Because these values are identical, the supplied results do not clarify whether the categories represent distinct patterns or a shared classification in the underlying analysis. Intervention modality, population characteristics, training duration, and energy-supply pattern were identified as potential main sources of heterogeneity, although only subgroups containing at least three studies were included in quantitative syntheses.

Variation among the studies was substantial, with an I² statistic of 81% and a P value below 0.0001. Funnel-plot inspection and Egger’s test detected no statistical evidence of publication asymmetry, but the authors noted that these assessments were limited by the small number of included studies and could not definitively rule out publication bias. Another reported subgroup result is internally inconsistent: a group described as healthy older or postmenopausal women had a standardized mean difference of 0.30, a 95% confidence interval of −0.05 to 0.65, and a P value of 0.009. The interval includes zero and therefore does not unambiguously indicate a statistically significant effect on its own.

Within the available comparisons, the evidence supports higher peripheral BDNF levels after chronic structured exercise in postmenopausal women, with resistance training showing the strongest reported subgroup estimate. The result is not a direct test of improved brain function, memory, mood, or disease prevention: those outcomes were not established by the pooled biochemical finding. Interpretation is further constrained by the modest sample of 351 participants, the high between-study heterogeneity, and the limited statistical power of publication-bias assessments. The meta-analysis therefore shows that exercise interventions were associated with a measurable rise in circulating BDNF in the studied population, while leaving the clinical significance of that rise unresolved.

Subject of Research: Effects of structured exercise on circulating BDNF in postmenopausal women

Article Title: Structured effects of exercise on circulating brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in postmenopausal women: a meta-analysis

Article References: Zhou, Y., Chai, J., Wang, J., & Wang, J. (2026). Structured effects of exercise on circulating brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in postmenopausal women: a meta-analysis. Frontiers in Physiology, 17, Article 1953636. https://doi.org/10.3389/fphys.2026.1953636

Image Credits: AI Generated

DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2026.1953636

Keywords: BDNF, postmenopausal women, structured exercise, resistance training, meta-analysis, peripheral biomarkers, exercise interventions, hormone health, Structured, effects, exercise, circulating