Scientists from Tsinghua University Medical Clinic (China) found that women benefit more from exercise than men for a similar training volume. In particular, the risk of cardiovascular diseases is significantly reduced. Research results published In Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
Scientists analyzed data from more than 400 thousand American adults enrolled as participants in the National Health Interview Survey (the program’s goal was to assess the health and nutritional status of the US population). From 1997 to 2019, participants were required to regularly inform study organizers about their levels and types of physical activity.
39,935 volunteers died during the observation period. At the same time, there were 11,670 deaths due to cardiovascular diseases. After analyzing participants’ self-reported moderate-to-vigorous exercise (including brisk walking, vigorous jumping exercises, spinning, and strength training), researchers found that women benefited more from the activity.
Specifically, men and women who exercised regularly in their spare time had a 24% and 15% lower risk of death from all causes, respectively, than those who were sedentary. Additionally, to reduce this risk by 18%, men need to exercise approximately 300 minutes per week. Women gained the same health benefits by exercising for half as long (140 minutes).
Researchers suggest that these differences may be related to the anatomy and physiology of men and women. Most likely, the greater benefit for women comes from the fact that they have to put more effort into the exercises.
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