HQ Team
February 21, 2024: Women stand to benefit more than men when they indulge in physical activities as it lowers the risk of premature death or fatal cardiovascular events, according to a study conducted by the US-based National Institutes of Health.
Data were collected from about 400,000 US adults aged between 27 years and 61 years.
It showed that over two decades, women who exercise were 24% less likely to die from any cause than those who don’t, while men were 15% less likely. Women also had a 36% reduced risk for a fatal heart attack, stroke, or other cardiovascular event, while men had a 14% reduced risk.
For all the health benefits of exercise for both groups, however, only 33% of women and 43% of men in the study met the standard for weekly aerobic exercise, while 20% of women and 28% of men completed a weekly strength training session, the study found.
“Even a limited amount of regular exercise can provide a major benefit, and it turns out this is especially true for women,” said Susan Cheng, M.D., a cardiologist and the Erika J. Glazer Chair in Women’s Cardiovascular Health and Population Science in the Smidt Heart Institute at Cedars-Sinai, Los Angeles.
20-30 minutes
“Taking some regular time out for exercise, even if it’s just 20-30 minutes of vigorous exercise a few times each week, can offer a lot more gain than they may realise.”
The authors said multiple factors, including variations in anatomy and physiology, may account for the differences in outcomes between the sexes.
For example, men often have increased lung capacity, larger hearts, lean body mass, and an increased proportion of fast-twitch muscle fibres compared to women.
As a result, women may use added respiratory, metabolic, and strength demands to conduct the same movement and reap greater health rewards.
The researchers found a link between women experiencing greater reduced risks for death compared to men among all types of exercise.
Aerobics
This included moderate aerobic activity, such as brisk walking; vigorous exercise, such as taking a spinning class or jumping rope; and strength training, which could include body-weight exercises.
Women also achieved the same benefits as men but in shorter amounts of time. For moderate aerobic exercise, they met the 18% reduced risk mark in half the time needed for men — 140 minutes, or under 2.5 hours, per week, compared to 300 minutes for men.
With vigorous aerobic exercise, women met the 19% reduced risk mark with just 57 minutes a week, compared to 110 minutes needed by men.
This benefit applied to weekly strength training exercises, too. Women and men who participated in strength-based exercises had a 19% and 11% reduced risk for death, respectively, compared to those who did not participate in these exercises.
Women who did strength training saw an even greater reduced risk of cardiovascular-related deaths — a 30% reduced risk, compared to 11% for men.
“This study emphasises that there is no singular approach for exercise,” said Eric J. Shiroma, ScD., a program director in the Clinical Applications and Prevention branch at the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.
“A person’s physical activity needs and goals may change based on their age, health status, and schedule – but the value of any type of exercise is irrefutable.”
