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Recent research has unveiled a surprising “gender gap” in the world of exercise, favoring women who, despite exercising less often, enjoy more significant heart health benefits than their male counterparts.
An analysis of data from 412,000 adults in the U.S. revealed that females gain more ‘heart health benefit’ from exercise compared to males. According to Professor Martha Gulati, the Director of Preventive Cardiology at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, women can achieve equivalent exercise benefits as men but with less effort.
The study delved into 22 years of data from the National Health Interview Survey, with findings published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology (JACC). Professor Gulati highlighted the historical disparity in exercise frequency between men and women, stating, “The beauty of this study is learning that women can get more out of each minute of moderate to vigorous activity than men do.”
The research team observed a 24 percent reduction in mortality risk for females and a 15 percent reduction for males engaged in any regular physical activity compared to being inactive. Notably, the study found that men reach their maximal survival benefit from moderate to vigorous physical activity at around five hours per week, while women achieve the same benefits with only two-and-a-half hours per week.
In terms of muscle-strengthening exercises, men peak with three sessions per week, while women achieve the same benefits with just one. The study also indicated that women gain maximal survival benefits with 140 minutes of exercise per week, whereas men need twice as much at 300 minutes per week.
Professor Christine Albert, a leading figure in the study, expressed hope that these groundbreaking findings will encourage females to prioritize regular physical activity for long-term health benefits. “I am hopeful that this pioneering research will motivate women who are not currently engaged in regular physical activity to understand that they are in a position to gain tremendous benefit for each increment of regular exercise they are able to invest in their longer-term health.”
