Table 1.
Characteristics of the six included studies
| Study | Study arms | Mean age (SD) (years) | Sample size, n; drop out, n (%) | Sex hormone outcomes | Methods for sex hormone evaluation | Intervention period |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SHAPE-2 [18], 2015, The Netherlands | Ex + D | 59.5 (4.9) | 98; 9 (9%) | Total estradiol, estrone, free estradiol, total testosterone, free testosterone, SHBG, androstenedione | Determined by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MC). SHBG by double-antibody radioimmunoassay (RIA) kitsb | 16 weeksa |
| D | 60.5 (4.6) | 97; 6 (6%) | ||||
| C | 60.0 (4.9) | 48; 3 (6%) | ||||
| NEW trial [17], 2012, United States | Ex + D | 58.0 (4.4) | 117; 9 (8%) | Total estradiol, estrone, free estradiol, total testosterone, free testosterone, SHBG, androstenedione | Quantified by RIA after organic solvent extraction and Celite column partition chromatography. SHBG via chemiluminescent immunometric assay using Immulite Analyzerb | 6 months, 12 months |
| Ex | 58.1 (5.0) | 117; 11 (9%) | ||||
| D | 58.1 (5.9) | 118; 13 (11%) | ||||
| C | 57.4 (4.4) | 87; 7 (8%) | ||||
| ALPHA trial [24], 2010, Canada | Ex | 61.2 (5.4) | 160; 6 (4%) | Total estradiol, estrone, free estradiol, total testosterone, free testosterone, SHBG, androstenedione | Quantified by RIA after organic solvent extraction and Celite column partition chromatography. SHBG via immunometric assay using Immulite Analyzerb | 6 months, 12 months |
| C | 60.6 (5.7) | 160; 6 (4%) | ||||
| SHAPE-1, 2009 [3], The Netherlands | Ex | 58.9 (4.6) | 96; 1 (1%) | Total estradiol, estrone, free estradiol, total testosterone, free testosterone, SHBG, androstenedione | Double-antibody RIA kits were used for determining sex hormones, also for SHBGb | 4 months, 12 months |
| C | 58.4 (4.2) | 93; 5 (5%) | ||||
| Orsatti et al. [25], 2008, Brazil | Ex | 57.8 (8.0) | 27; 6 (22%) | Total testosterone, total estradiol | Measured by the Immulite System, automated immunoassay. | 16 weeks |
| C | 59.3 (6.2) | 23; 1 (4%) | ||||
| PATH trial [22, 23], 2004, United States | Ex | 60.7 (6.7) | 87; 3 (3%) | Total estradiol, estrone, free estradiol, total testosterone, free testosterone, SHBG, androstenedione | Quantified by RIA after organic solvent extraction and Celite column partition chromatography. SHBG via immunometric assay using Immulite Analyzerb | 12 months |
| C | 60.6 (6.8) | 86; 0 |
ALPHA Alberta Physical Activity and Breast Cancer, C control, D reduced calorie diet, Ex exercise, NEW Nutrition and Exercise for Woman, PATH Physical Activity for Total Health, SHAPE Sex Hormone and Physical Exercise, SHBG sex hormone binding globulin
aAlthough this study took 16 weeks, results were pooled with the other studies
bFree estradiol/free testosterone were calculated using the measured values for estradiol, testosterone, and SHBG, and assumed constant for albumin