Standing More May Improve Blood Pressure in Postmenopausal Women With Overweight, Obesity

Reducing sitting time and increasing daily sit-to-stand transitions could help improve blood pressure in postmenopausal women with overweight or obesity, according to findings from a study published in Circulation.¹ Authors of the study said increasing sit-to-stand transitions could be an achievable behavior to reduce cardiovascular risk in this patient population.

Cardiovascular disease risk rises significantly during the menopause transition, a period marked by hormonal and metabolic changes. These include increased blood pressure, insulin resistance, unfavorable lipid changes, and shifts in body composition. Emerging evidence shows that menopause itself, independent of age, contributes to cardiovascular risk, particularly with early onset and symptoms such as hot flashes and sleep disturbances.²

“Public health messaging urges us to sit less but doesn’t tell us the best ways to do that,” Sheri Hartman, PhD, first author on the study, said in a news release.³ “Our findings suggest that while sitting less was helpful, interrupting sitting with brief standing breaks—even if you don't sit less—can support healthy blood pressure and improve health.”

A team of investigators from the University of California San Diego conducted a randomized controlled trial to evaluate 2 approaches for changing sitting behaviors and examine the physiological impacts among postmenopausal women. The Rise for Health (NCT03473145) study included 388 postmenopausal women aged 55 or older who sat for 7 or more hours per day.

During the study, patients were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 cohorts: reduce sitting time, increase sit-to-stand transitions, or a healthy living control for 3 months. Patients in the reduced sitting time cohort reduced their total daily sitting time, while patients in the increase sit-to-stand transitions cohort stood up from sitting multiple times each day. Patients in both cohorts received interventions for habit formation, social cognitive theory, and motivational interviewing.

Patients in the control arm received a personalized goal and action plan from a coach on a topic of their choosing, including safe driving, stress reduction, and healthy bones. Coaches reviewed learning objectives and provided information and worksheets during in-person or telephone sessions. The primary study outcomes were changes in blood pressure and glucoregulatory biomarkers.

During the study, the reduced sitting time cohort reduced total sitting time by 58 minutes per day more than the healthy living arm. Although the increase sit-to-stand transitions cohort increased daily sit-to-stand transitions by 26 more than the healthy living arm, there was no difference in sitting time. The increase sit-to-stand transitions cohort had significant decreases in diastolic blood pressure but similar decreases in systolic blood pressure compared with the healthy living arm. For the reduced sitting time cohort, there were no significant effects on blood pressure.

“What excites me most about this study is that women set their own goals and made a real difference in their sitting behaviors,” Andrea Z. LaCroix, PhD, co-author on the study, said in the release.³ “With a little coaching, we can teach ourselves to sit less, and it makes a tangible difference to our short- and long-term health. Adapting real-world interventions that are easy, realistic, and aligned with our personal goals—such as stand[ing] up from sitting 25 extra times per day, like 2 times per hour over 12 hours—may be doable for so many of us.”

READ MORE: Women’s Health Resource Center

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References

1. Hartman SJ, LaCroix AZ, Sears DD, et al. Impacts of reducing sitting time or increasing sit-to-stand transitions on blood pressure and glucose regulation in postmenopausal women: three-arm randomized controlled trial. Circulation. Published online July 25, 2025. doi:10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.124.073385

2. El Khoudary SR, Aggarwal B, Beckie TM, et al. Menopause transition and cardiovascular disease risk: implications for timing of early prevention: a scientific statement from the American Heart Association. Circulation. 2020;142(25):e506-e532. doi:10.1161/CIR.0000000000000912

3. Just rise: study finds frequent standing may boost heart health after menopause. News release. UC San Diego. August 5, 2025. Accessed August 6, 2025. https://today.ucsd.edu/story/frequent-standing-may-boost-heart-health-after-menopause