Time-Restricted Eating Eased Menopause Symptoms More Than Exercise: What the Research Shows

Time-Restricted Eating Eased Menopause Symptoms More Than Exercise: What the Research Shows

A small study of 54 menopausal women tested eating only within an 8-hour window each day, combined with exercise, against exercise alone. Published in Nutrients in 2025, it found the combination group had bigger drops in menopause symptoms and better quality of life scores after the study.

Medical disclaimer: This article summarises published research for informational purposes only. It is not medical advice and is not a substitute for guidance from a qualified health professional. Always consult your doctor before starting any fasting protocol, especially if you have an existing health condition or take medication.

The Short Version

• What they tested: Whether eating only within an 8-hour window each day (called 16:8 time-restricted eating), added to exercise, eases menopause symptoms better than exercise alone.
• Who did it: Beata Jóźwiak and colleagues at Poznan University of Physical Education, Poland, published in Nutrients in 2025.
• How many people: 54 menopausal women took part. All were women. Age range was not stated in the abstract.
• How long: Not stated in the abstract.
• What happened: Women who combined fasting with exercise had bigger drops in menopause symptoms and better quality of life than women who exercised alone.
• Read the study yourself: Nutrients 2025 →

What They Wanted to Find Out

Menopause often brings hot flashes, mood changes, and a drop in day-to-day well-being. Exercise is a known way to help. This study asked a simple question: does adding a daily eating window make exercise work even better?

The researchers picked 16:8 time-restricted eating — eating only within 8 hours a day, then fasting for the other 16. They wanted to know if pairing this eating pattern with a structured workout program helped more than the workout alone. You can read more on this topic in our piece on whether fasting helps night sweats and our look at fasting and PMS symptoms.

Who Was in the Study

Who they were: All 54 participants were women going through menopause. Their exact ages, weight, and health conditions were not stated in the abstract. Women chose which group to join, rather than being assigned purely by chance.

What the fasting actually looked like: Women in the combination group ate all their food within an 8-hour window each day. They fasted for the remaining 16 hours. What they could drink during the fasting hours was not stated in the abstract.

What Happened

The combination group had bigger drops in menopause symptoms and better quality of life scores than the exercise-only group.

• Mood-related symptoms improved more in the combination group.
• Body-related symptoms, like aches and sleep problems, also improved more in the combination group.
• Physical and social quality of life scores were better in the combination group.
• Vaginal and urinary symptoms did not differ between the two groups.
• Hot flash scores and sex-related quality of life scores did not differ between the two groups.

What Did Not Change

• Vaginal and urinary symptoms stayed similar in both groups.
• Hot flash frequency scores stayed similar in both groups.
• Sex-related quality of life scores stayed similar in both groups.
• Muscle was not measured in this study — not stated in the abstract.

What the Researchers Said

The researchers concluded that adding a daily eating window to an exercise program worked better than exercise alone. They said this combination may offer more relief from menopause symptoms and better everyday well-being.

What This Means for You

• If you're in menopause: This study was done only on women going through menopause, so it speaks directly to that stage of life.
• Pairing habits may help more: Adding an eating window to your exercise routine may ease symptoms more than exercise by itself.
• It's about symptoms, not a cure: The study measured symptom scores and quality of life. It did not test whether fasting changes hormone levels.
• Hot flashes may not budge: This study found no difference in hot flash scores between groups, so don't expect fasting to fix that on its own.
• Talk to your doctor first: Fasting isn't right for everyone, especially with existing health conditions or medications.
• See also our article on combining fasting with interval workouts for women over 50 and whether time-restricted eating changes women's hormones.

What This Study Could Not Tell Us

• Only 54 women took part — a small study.
• All participants were women, so results may not apply to men.
• How long the study ran was not stated in the abstract.
• Women were not assigned to groups purely by chance — allocation was influenced by personal preference.
• Symptom and quality of life scores relied on the women's own reports, not blood tests or scans.
• Funding source was not reported in the abstract.

The Study Details

Jóźwiak, B., Szulc, A., & Laudańska-Krzemińska, I. (2025). Time-Restricted Eating Combined with Exercise Reduces Menopausal Symptoms and Improves Quality of Life More than Exercise Alone in Menopausal Women: A Quasi-Randomized (people were put into groups at random) Controlled Trial. Nutrients. PMID: 41156526

Common Questions

Does intermittent fasting help with menopause symptoms?

This study found that women who combined an 8-hour eating window with exercise had bigger drops in menopause symptoms than women who exercised alone. It did not test fasting by itself, without exercise.

What is 16:8 time-restricted eating?

It means eating all your meals within an 8-hour window each day. Then you fast for the other 16 hours, eating nothing during that time.

Do you need to exercise for fasting to help menopause symptoms?

In this study, the eating window was always paired with a circuit training program. It did not test fasting on its own, without exercise.

Did fasting help with hot flashes in this study?

No. Hot flash scores did not differ between the group that fasted and exercised and the group that only exercised.

How many women were in this menopause fasting study?

54 women took part. 24 combined the eating window with exercise, and 30 did exercise alone.

More Research Like This

• Does Intermittent Fasting Help Menopause Night Sweats?
• Combining Fasting With Interval Workouts Helped Women Over 50 Get Fitter
• Alternate-Day Fasting Improved Premenstrual Mood and Quality of Life in Overweight Women
• Does Time-Restricted Eating Change Women's Hormones? No
• 5:2 Intermittent Fasting Improved Menstrual Regularity in Women With PCOS
• Early Time-Restricted Eating Beats Later Eating for Fat Loss Without Costing Muscle
• Does Time-Restricted Eating Improve Sleep? What 6 Trials Show

Track every fast automatically — get FastSyncer free on the App Store.