A New Look at Exercise: Do Men and Women Benefit Differently?

New research suggests that when it comes to exercise, men may need to do twice as much as women to achieve the same reduction in heart disease risk.

Poll

How long is your ideal workout?

30 min

45 min

60+ min

This finding has led scientists to call for health guidelines that consider these sex-based differences.

By analyzing the physical activity records of over 80,000 people, researchers discovered that women who exercised for 250 minutes per week saw their risk of heart disease fall by 30%.

TRY RPM AT GYMNATION

For men to achieve the same benefit, they needed to exercise for nearly nine hours, or 530 minutes, per week.

Tailored Advice May Be Key

This study builds on previous work suggesting women gain more cardiovascular benefits from the same amount of exercise as men.

However, women are often less physically active and less likely to meet recommended targets.

BREATHING YOGA CLASSES AT GYMNATION

Current NHS guidelines advise at least 150 minutes of moderate exercise for all adults, but this new research highlights the need for more personalized advice.

The findings, published in Nature Cardiovascular Research, could encourage more women to engage in physical activity, as they show substantial health benefits can be achieved with only moderate amounts of exercise.

"Compared with male individuals, females derive equivalent health benefits with only half the exercise time," the authors wrote.

TRY BODYATTACK AT GYMNATION

Breaking Down the Numbers

The study tracked middle-aged volunteers from the UK Biobank project who wore activity trackers.

In the group without pre-existing coronary heart disease, women who met the 150-minute weekly exercise target had a 22% lower risk of developing the condition over eight years, compared to a 17% lower risk for men.

Even more striking was the data from over 5,000 participants who already had heart disease. In this group, the risk of dying during the follow-up period was three times lower for women who met the weekly exercise target than for similarly active men.

Moving Forward with New Insights

While the exact reasons for this difference are unclear, scientists point to potential factors like sex hormones, muscle fiber composition, and how the body processes sugar for energy.

Senior author Professor Yan Wang emphasized that both sexes gain "substantial cardiovascular benefits" from regular physical activity.

However, he hopes the findings will particularly motivate women who are currently inactive to become more active.

Dr. Emily Lau, a cardiovascular health specialist, commented on the study, stating, "This study provides further evidence that one size really does not fit all and challenges us to move from conversation to action.

It is time to embed sex-specific strategies into guidelines and to develop tailored interventions to optimize cardiovascular health for women."

Source: theguardian

The opinions shared in the GymNation blog articles are solely those of the respective authors and may not represent the perspectives of GymNation or any member of the GymNation team.