Women experience greater benefits from exercise than men, study finds
Recent research indicates that women reap more health advantages from regular exercise than men, including a reduced risk of early death. The study examined data from over 400,000 US adults and discovered that physically active women had a 24% lower chance of dying from any cause compared to inactive women, while men had a 15% lower chance. Women also experienced a 36% decreased risk of fatal heart attacks, strokes, or other cardiovascular events, while men had a 14% reduced risk.
Women achieve exercise benefits with shorter amounts of time
Women who exercised moderately for 140 minutes per week reduced their risk of death by 18%, compared to 300 minutes for men. Likewise, women who engaged in vigorous exercise for just 57 minutes a week reduced their risk of death by 19%, compared to the 110 minutes needed by men. Experts stress that even a small amount of regular exercise can offer significant benefits, particularly for women.
Differences in anatomy and physiology may explain the disparity
Experts believe that differences in anatomy and physiology between men and women may explain the varying exercise outcomes. Men typically have larger lung capacity, bigger hearts, more lean body mass, and a higher percentage of fast-twitch muscle fibers than women. Consequently, women often exert more effort to achieve the same exercise level as men. But women can get more out of each minute of moderate to vigorous activity than men do.
The study encourages women to engage in regular exercise
Experts clarified that the research does not imply women should exercise less. Instead, it encourages women who may not be exercising enough for various reasons to recognize that even relatively small amounts can yield significant benefits. Women's mortality risk decreases more steeply for any given weekly amount or frequency of exercise, which is unsurprising considering the higher physical effort women make for a given task.
Plateau at reduced risk of death observed
The researchers observed that the reduced risk of death plateaued in both men and women when they reached 300 minutes, or five hours, of moderate physical activity per week. Similar trends were seen with 110 minutes of weekly vigorous exercise. Taking regular time out for exercise, even just 20-30 minutes of vigorous activity a few times each week, can offer more gains than people may realize.
