Pilates and vitamin D is an effective intervention protocol to improve strength and muscle mass and quality of life related to menopause in women

Introduction: Postmenopausal women are at risk of developing sarcopenia and compromising musculoskeletal health and quality of life. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of a course of Pilates training with vitamin D supplementation on skeletal muscle strength and mass and quality of life in postmenopausal women. Methods: In this quasi-experimental study with a pretest-posttest design, 29 postmenopausal women (48.94±2.73 years old) were purposively selected through advertisements posted on the Internet in Arak city between March 2013 and April 2014 and randomly assigned to vitamin D supplementation (VD), Pilates + Vitamin D (PT + VD), and control (C) groups. The PT+VD group did 3 sessions of 60-minute Pilates exercises every week for 8 weeks (A total of 24 sessions) and received vitamin D (dose 2000 units) every other day, while the VD group they only used vitamin D every other day. Before and after the intervention, metabolic indices, quality of life (WHOQOL-BREF questionnaire with high reliability and validity: Cronbach's alpha = 0.92), body composition (bioelectrical impedance), and muscle strength (dynamometer) were assessed. Data analysis was performed using SPSS version 26 software and analysis of covariance tests. Results: The results of the present study showed that muscle strength and lean mass significantly increased in the VD and PT+VD groups (P<0.05). In the PT+VD group, all four domains of quality of life (physical health, psychological health, social relationships, and social environment) significantly improved (P<0.05). Conclusion: The results showed that vitamin D supplementation can improve quality of life as well as strength and lean mass in postmenopausal women. The improvement observed in quality of life and skeletal muscle function in postmenopausal women was doubled with the addition of Pilates training.