Differences in strength, leg lean mass, and lifestyle factors between premenopausal and perimenopausal women.

Background: Menopausal changes coupled with age-related reductions in muscle strength can impact functionality.

Aim: To evaluate the differences in muscle strength, dominant leg lean mass (DLM ), relative protein intake (r_PRO) and physical activity (PA) between premenopausal (PRE) and perimenopausal (PERI) women.

Methods: Twenty-four PRE- (age = 39.8 ± 3.3 years; BMI: 25.3 ± 5.0 kg/m ) and 24 PERI-women (age = 50.0 ± 3.3 years; BMI: 26.5 ± 5.4 kg/m ) participated in leg extensor isometric peak force (PF), DLM , r_PRO and PA. Independent samples t-tests and one-way analyses of covariance covaried for age and DLM were used to compare groups.

Results: The PRE group had significantly higher PF (mean difference ± standard error: 57.8 ± 28.0 N; p = 0.045) and DLM (0.7 ± 0.3 kg; p = 0.031) when compared to the PERI group. There were no significant differences in r_PRO, or PA between groups (p = 0.173-0.423). When covaried for age and DLM , there was no significant difference in PF (p = 0.982 and 0.405, respectively).

Conclusions: Age and DLM may be important contributors to menopause-phase related differences in strength.