Researchers have discovered a “gender gap” between men and women when it comes to working out—and it favors women, who are not likely to exercise as often.
Data analyzed from 412,000 adults in the U.S. showed that females get more ‘heart health benefit’ from exercise than males.
They can get the same benefits from exercise as men, but with less effort, according to Professor Martha Gulati, director of Preventive Cardiology at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.
She explained that women have historically lagged behind men in how often they engaged in meaningful exercise.
“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 team analyzed 22 years of data gathered by the National Health Interview Survey, and published their findings in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology (JACC).
They revealed that women can exercise less often than men, yet receive greater heart gains.
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“For all adults engaging in any regular physical activity, compared to being inactive, mortality risk was lower,” said study senior author Professor Susan Cheng.
“Intriguingly, though, mortality risk was reduced by 24 percent in women and 15 percent in men.”
The team also studied moderate to vigorous physical activity—such as brisk walking or cycling—and found that men reached their maximal survival benefit from doing this level of exercise for about five hours per week while women achieved the same from only two-and-a-half hours per week.
When it came to weightlifting and other muscle-strengthening body exercises, men reach their peak from doing three sessions per week compared to women who only need one.
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The study also showed that women achieved maximal survival benefit if they exercised for 140 minutes per week, while men need to perform twice as much at 300 minutes per week to gain the same benefits.
Women continue to get further benefits for up to 300 minutes a week.
Prof. Christine Albert hopes women will take the research to heart.
“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.”
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