Women are more likely to benefit from regular training than men

An international research team in the United States and China found that women who exercise regularly Significantly lower risk of premature death Or they may experience more fatal cardiovascular events than men who do the same thing. Moreover, this benefit holds true even if women put in less effort.

The observational study, which analyzed the exercise habits of more than 400,000 U.S. adults, found that compared to inactivity, regular physical activity was associated with a 24% lower risk of death among women. In men, the risk was reduced by 15%.

Women who worked out also had a 36% lower risk of fatal cardiovascular events, including: stroke Or even more dangerous than their inactive peers, such as a heart attack. For men, those who were physically active had a 14% reduced risk.

Less is more for women's fitness

the current Physical Activity Guidelines for AmericansA report developed by the Department of Health and Human Services recommends at least 150 to 300 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise and two days of strength-strengthening activity per week.It is a mystery that these guidelines apply to all adults regardless of gender Dr.Martha Gulatico-author of the study and director of Preventive Cardiology. Smit Heart Institute at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center In Los Angeles.

“Why does the same thing happen to women and men?” said Gulati, who is also an associate director. Barbra Streisand Women's Heart Center at Cedars-Sinai,Tell you luck. “We know that women are not smaller men. We know there are physiological differences. Do they actually need the same amount of exercise?”

Furthermore, Gulati and colleagues Well-documented physical activity gap between men and women.

“For young children, we know that girls are less active than other children. [boys],” she says. “We know we'll see them again soon when they're young adults.” This persistent gap. Men do more than women. ”

This disagreement was also reflected in the study, where 43% of male participants regularly engaged in aerobic exercise compared to 33% of female participants. Approximately 28% of men regularly engage in muscle-strengthening activities, compared to 20% of women. Men performed both types of exercise more frequently.

While Gulati encourages everyone to find a fitness regime that fits their lifestyle, she said the research team's findings that women could benefit from a “less is more” approach to exercise We hope that this will serve as an opportunity to encourage many women to become more active.

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Comparing the survival benefits of exercise for men and women

The reduction in mortality risk from weekly moderate-to-vigorous aerobic exercise eventually plateaued for both men and women. However, the study found that men needed to exercise more than twice as long as women to achieve the same results.

It took about 300 minutes, or 5 hours, per week for men to reduce their risk of death by up to 18% compared to inactive men. A woman only needed to complete her 140 minutes in less than two and a half hours to get the same effect. Women who exercised 300 minutes per week had a 24% lower risk of death compared to inactive women.

Researchers observed similar gender differences for moderate and vigorous aerobics separately.

• medium strength
  • Men: 90 minutes a week reduces risk by 20%
  • Women: 50 minutes a week reduces risk by 20%
    • 97 minutes per week reduces risk by up to 24%
• intense intensity
  • Men: 110 minutes per week reduces risk by 19%
  • Women: 57 minutes per week reduces risk by 19%
    • 120 minutes per week reduces risk by up to 24%

“Women were able to reap more benefits,” says Gulati.

These findings do not suggest that fitness enthusiasts should not exercise more than 300 minutes per week, only that they are unlikely to provide additional survival benefits. Further research is needed to determine whether additional exercise has a positive impact on other health indicators.

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Gender differences in athletic ability

Similar to aerobic exercise, women had a significantly reduced risk of early death when it came to regular muscle-strengthening activities. Women had a 19% lower risk than their inactive colleagues, and men had an 11% lower risk.

However, men had the best mortality benefit when they engaged in strength-strengthening activities three times a week, reducing their risk by 14% compared to inactivity. Women have found that if they do such activities just once a week, they get the same or even better results.

So why did the men and women in this study have such different results? Gulati and her team suggest that one possible explanation is that men's “athletic performance is clearly “It's expensive.'' They emphasized the following characteristics of the male figure:

• proportionately large heart
• airways in the lungs widen
• Improved diffusion capacity of the lungs
• larger muscle fibers
• 38% increase in lean body mass

These anatomical differences suggest that the same exercise may place different physiological demands on women's bodies, ultimately resulting in more health benefits.

“Given women's relatively low levels of physical involvement, it is not surprising that women gained additional benefits.” Dr. Jennifer Saczekchair Department of Exercise and Nutrition Science from the George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health. luck on mail. “The greatest gains in health outcomes and mortality risk occur when people get something out of nothing, or very little.

“So if women start out at a lower level of physical activity than men, even small increases in physical activity can provide significant benefits.”

Who were the participants in the study?

The researchers National health interview survey, from 1997 to 2017, linked participant records to National Mortality Index records through 2019. People with pre-existing conditions ranging from cancer to chronic bronchitis to coronary heart disease were excluded.

Of the remaining 412,413 participants in the participant pool, 55% were female, 14% were Black, and 18% were Hispanic. Their average age was 44 years.

Learn more about the health benefits of regular training below.

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