The effects of functional exercise on healthy aging in women over 60 years of age: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

INTRODUCTION: Healthy aging is a major public health priority, particularly for women, who have a longer life expectancy and a high prevalence of conditions associated with frailty, sarcopenia, and loss of functional independence. Therefore, the objective of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to evaluate the effects of functional exercise on physical and psychosocial outcomes in women over 60 years of age. METHODS: A systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted following PRISMA guidelines. Searches were performed in PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library up to September 2025. Only randomized controlled trials involving women aged 60 years and older who participated in functional exercise interventions were included. Methodological quality was assessed with the PEDro scale, and pooled analyses were conducted using standardized mean differences (SMD) with 95% confidence intervals. RESULTS: Seventeen randomized controlled trials with a total of 968 participants met the inclusion criteria. Meta-analyses showed that functional exercise significantly improved physical capacities, including functionality (SMD = 0.81; 95% CI = 0.62 to 0.99), strength (SMD = 0.51; 95% CI = 0.11 to 0.91), and power (SMD = 0.28; 95% CI = 0.10 to 0.46). Additional evidence suggested improvements in psychosocial outcomes and reductions in proinflammatory cytokines, although results were more heterogeneous. The overall methodological quality of the included studies was moderate to high. CONCLUSIONS: Functional exercise may be a beneficial strategy to enhance physical and psychosocial capacities in women over 60 years of age. It may also contribute to modulating inflammatory and immunosenescence-related responses; however, the evidence remains limited and should be interpreted with caution. Further high-quality studies are needed to support its integration into healthy aging and preventive care programs.