Men vs Women: Who needs to exercise more and why?

We all know that physical activity is the cornerstone for maintaining cardiovascular health, especially at a time when heart attack cases are on the rise. 

It is advisable for both men and women to engage in regular exercise to strengthen the heart muscles. However, what if a study tells you that women need less exercise compared to men to protect themselves against coronary heart disease? 

Yes, we take you through these fascinating findings of this study.

About the study

Heart Health fitness from Regular exercise (Image: Representative)

Published in the journal Nature Cardiovascular Research, the study focuses on over 85,000 people from the United Kingdom Biobank cohort over seven years through the use of activity trackers. 

The study reveals that men had to work out almost twice as much as women to witness comparable reductions in heart risks. 

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Women who engage in exercise for approximately 250 minutes a week, roughly 35 minutes a day, can reduce their risk of heart disease by nearly 30 per cent. In comparison, men require to engage for about 530 minutes per week (approximately 75 minutes a day) to achieve the same 30 per cent reduction.

When it came to more than 5,000 participants with heart disease, the risk of dying during that phase for women decreased three times after meeting the exercise target, while men had to go on regular workouts twice as much each week to witness the same result. 

Considering the impact of work stress, it also highlights the substantial health benefits women can gain from moderate amounts of exercise. One in three women dies due to cardiovascular disease globally.

The author in Nature Cardiovascular Research writes: "Compared with male individuals, females derive equivalent health benefits with only half the exercise time." 

They also add that "These findings might have the potential to encourage females to engage in physical activity." 

The reason behind it 

Now, what is the logic behind this? We have got you covered on that as well. 

Jiajin Chen, a researcher from China's Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases, who worked on the study, told ABC News, "Physiologically, circulating estrogen levels are much higher in females than in males, and estrogen can promote body fat loss during exercise.”

Chen also noted the difference in "fast-switch" muscles that men have, while women have more “slow-twitch” muscles, and that could impact the efficiency of workouts.  

"These physiological differences may partly explain the increased sensitivity to physical activity and greater cardiovascular benefit observed in females," Chen asserted. 

Findings aim to encourage females in physical activity

It is noted in these findings that men are at a higher risk when it comes to developing coronary heart disease compared to women in general.

However, according to the Heart Foundation data, 20 women die from the disease in Australia each day on average. 

Therefore, researchers are optimistic that their findings will encourage women to prioritise exercise for a healthier cardio. 

The authors mentioned, "Compared with male individuals, females derive equivalent health benefits with only half the exercise time."

"The findings might have potential to encourage females to engage in physical activity," they added. 

With inputs from agencies