Research

Hormonal

Physical activity interventions significantly decrease circulating total and free estradiol levels in healthy women, with effects being more pronounced in non-obese individuals and those engaging in high-intensity or resistance exercise.

Engaging in regular physical activity, particularly high-intensity or resistance training, can help lower circulating estradiol levels in women. This benefit occurs independently of weight loss, meaning you can gain hormonal advantages even if your weight stays the same. Aim for varied exercise types, including resistance training, for potentially stronger effects.

GoodSupportsHIGH confidence
The overall effect of physical activity was a statistically significant decrease of both total estradiol (standardized mean difference [SMD] -0.12; 95 % confidence interval [CI] -0.20 to −0.03; P = 0.01; I2 = 0 %) and free estradiol (SMD −0.20; 95 % CI −0.31 to −0.09; P = 0.0005; I2 = 0 %).
Kaoutar Ennour‐Idrissi et al. · Breast Cancer Research · 2015

Why this rating

Systematic review of RCTs with low heterogeneity (I2=0%) for primary outcomes, though overall risk of bias was unclear due to performance bias.

Source

Effect of physical activity on sex hormones in women: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

Kaoutar Ennour‐Idrissi et al. · Breast Cancer Research · 2015

DOI 10.1186/s13058-015-0647-3

Meta-analysis · 18 studiesCited 190×
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DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

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