New research indicates that men may require twice the amount of exercise as women to effectively reduce their risk of heart disease.
Recent findings from a study conducted in China suggest that men need to engage in significantly more physical activity than women to lower their risk of developing heart disease. The research, published in the journal Nature Cardiovascular Research, analyzed data from over 85,000 participants in the U.K. Biobank, focusing on gender differences in physical activity levels and the incidence of coronary heart disease.
The study utilized data collected from wearable accelerometers, such as smartwatches, to measure the amount of moderate to vigorous physical activity among participants. All individuals were free of coronary heart disease at the beginning of the study and were monitored for nearly eight years to track the development of heart disease and related mortality.
The average age of participants in the incidence study was approximately 61 years, with 57.3% being women. In the mortality study, the average age was around 66 years, with 30% of participants being women.
After adjusting for other risk factors associated with heart disease, including body mass index (BMI) and smoking habits, researchers identified a significant disparity between men and women. The findings revealed that women experienced a lower risk of heart disease with half the amount of exercise compared to men.
Specifically, the study found that an additional 30 minutes of exercise per week correlated with a 2.9% reduction in heart disease risk for women and a 1.9% reduction for men. Meeting the recommended exercise standard of 150 minutes per week resulted in a 22% decrease in heart disease incidence risk for women, while men saw a 17% reduction.
For those who extended their workout regimen to 300 minutes, or five hours, per week, the risk reduction was 21% for women and only 11% for men. The researchers concluded that to achieve a 30% reduction in the incidence of coronary heart disease, women need approximately 250 minutes of exercise per week, while men require about 530 minutes.
When examining mortality rates from heart disease, adhering to the 150-minute exercise guideline lowered women’s risk by an impressive 70%, whereas it only reduced men’s risk by 19%. To achieve a 30% reduction in mortality from coronary heart disease, women need around 51 minutes of exercise each week, while men need about 85 minutes.
The researchers emphasized that these findings highlight the importance of sex-specific approaches to coronary heart disease prevention, particularly through the use of wearable devices that could encourage increased physical activity among women.
Dr. Marc Siegel, a senior medical analyst at Fox News, discussed the study’s implications on “America’s Newsroom.” He remarked, “I can tell you, having been married for almost 30 years, that women are better than men. There’s no question about it.” He noted that women tend to have physiological advantages, while men often face higher risks due to lifestyle factors.
Siegel pointed out that men generally have higher levels of testosterone, which can negatively impact cholesterol levels, and they are more likely to accumulate fat in the abdominal area, leading to inflammation. He also mentioned that men typically smoke and drink more and exercise less, all of which contribute to a heightened risk of heart disease.
He added that while women begin to experience increased heart disease risk after menopause, it takes time for this gap to close. “With all these risks, [men] need the exercise way more than women do to make up for it,” Siegel concluded.
These findings underscore the critical need for tailored exercise recommendations based on gender to effectively combat heart disease, a leading cause of mortality worldwide.
Source: Original article