Study Reveals Men Need More Exercise Than Women to Combat Heart Disease
New research suggests that men must exercise significantly more than women to effectively reduce their risk of coronary heart disease. Conducted in China, the study indicates that men require double the physical activity compared to women for similar health benefits.
Published in the journal Nature Cardiovascular Research, the study analyzed data from over 85,000 participants from the U.K. Biobank, looking specifically at how physical activity affects the likelihood of developing coronary heart disease.
Using wearable devices like smartwatches, researchers tracked participants’ levels of moderate to vigorous exercise over nearly eight years. The study focused on individuals who did not have heart disease at its start, monitoring how many participants developed the condition or died from it.
The average participant age was around 61, with a little over half being women. Another aspect of the study looking at mortality had an average participant age of about 66, with 30% being women.
After considering various heart disease risk factors such as body mass index (BMI) and smoking, researchers found a significant difference between the genders. Women saw lower heart disease risk with just half the exercise time compared to men.
For instance, an extra 30 minutes of exercise each week reduced the heart disease risk by 2.9% for women and 1.9% for men. Hitting the target of 150 minutes of exercise weekly lowered the risk for women by an impressive 22%, while men’s risk decreased by 17%. If participants upped their activity to 300 minutes per week, women’s risk dropped by 21%, but men only saw an 11% reduction.
To achieve a roughly 30% decrease in coronary heart disease risk, women need about 250 minutes of exercise each week compared to around 530 minutes required for men.
When examining mortality rates from heart disease, those adhering to the 150 minutes of weekly exercise saw a 70% reduction in women’s risk, while it only lowered men’s risk by 19%. For a 30% decrease in mortality risk, women need only about 51 minutes of exercise weekly, while men need about 85 minutes.
The researchers emphasized the importance of tailoring heart disease prevention strategies to address these gender differences, especially using technology to motivate women to be more active.
Dr. Marc Siegel, a senior medical analyst, discussed the findings, remarking on the physiological differences between men and women. According to him, men generally have higher testosterone levels, which can lead to increased cholesterol levels and fat accumulation, especially around the abdomen. He pointed to lifestyle factors such as smoking and drinking that often contribute to men’s higher risk for heart disease.
The study highlights a clear need for men to engage in more exercise to counteract these risks effectively, especially as women begin to see an increased risk post-menopause.
This research serves as a vital reminder of the importance of physical activity in heart health and underscores the need for tailored exercise recommendations for different genders.
