Exercise benefits women nearly twice as much as men, study says

When it comes to protecting the heart, women may get nearly twice the benefit from exercise as men. As reported in The Guardian, a study published in Nature Cardiovascular Research analyzed data from more than 80,000 adults and found that women saw a 30 per cent drop in coronary heart disease risk after about 250 minutes of weekly activity. Men needed more than 530 minutes—almost nine hours—to see the same effect.

Exercise works, but not equally

Researchers tracked middle-aged adults who wore activity monitors for the UK Biobank project, and followed them for eight years. Both men and women reduced their risk of heart disease by staying active, but the protective effect appeared stronger for women. Meeting the government guidelines of 150 minutes of weekly exercise lowered women’s risk by 22 per cent, compared with 17 per cent for men.

Among participants who already had coronary heart disease, women who exercised regularly were three times less likely to die during the study period than equally active men.

Heart health in Canadians

Heart disease remains the leading cause of death in Canada, responsible for roughly one in five deaths among women, according to the Heart and Stroke Foundation. The new findings add to evidence that women’s hearts respond differently to exercise, and that future national guidelines may need to reflect those differences.

Dr. Yan Wang, a senior author of the paper, said both men and women can gain “substantial cardiovascular benefits” from regular physical activity but noted that globally, women are still less likely to meet activity recommendations. The results, he said, should encourage more women to move, since even moderate amounts of exercise can deliver major gains.