It's well known that regular exercise promotes good health, but women may reap even more benefits than men from weight training and running track.
According to a study published in Journal of the American College of Cardiology This suggests that women who exercise regularly have a lower risk of premature death than men who exercise the same way.
The study found that physically active women were 24% less likely to die from any cause than sedentary women. Men were only 15% less likely.
Additionally, women had a 36% reduced risk of fatal heart attacks, strokes, and other cardiovascular events. Men's risk decreased by 14%.
“The results of this study show that women essentially get more out of every moment of exercise and strength training than men,” said co-lead author Smit Cardio of Cedars-Sinai. said Martha Gulati, MD, director of preventive cardiology at the institute. health. “What was most compelling was the fact that this sex difference exists and supports the fact that women are not little men.”
The study “indicates that perhaps the amount of daily activity we recommend should be different for women and men,” Gulati added.
For the study, researchers analyzed data from more than 400,000 U.S. adults between the ages of 27 and 61.
Researchers found that not only were physically active women less likely to die prematurely overall than men, but their risk decreased with less physical activity.
For moderate aerobic exercise, such as brisk walking, women benefit from doing half as much as men each week. Additionally, women only needed 57 minutes of vigorous exercise, such as running, per week to lower their risk of early death, compared to 110 minutes per week for men.
Women benefited more from moderate-to-vigorous aerobic exercise as well as strength training such as weightlifting and squats.
Researchers found that women who did regular strength training reduced their risk of premature death by 19%, while men who did the same reduced their risk of premature death by only 11%.
“From this study, it appears we need both types of exercise,” said Dr. John Higgins, a sports cardiologist at UTHealth Houston. health. “Strength training may lead to reduced osteoporosis, better bone remodeling, increased stability, and reduced falls and machine-related deaths. It may contribute to reducing the incidence of dementia.”
Higgins pointed to multiple factors that may benefit women from exercise more than men, including hormonal differences and lean muscle mass, which may make women's bodies more efficient at exercising. .
The study also showed that men are “more capable of engaging in physical activity and can exercise for longer periods of time than women due to differences in organs, muscle fiber structure and size, and hormones,” the postdoc said. Dr. Benjamin Boudreau says: Researchers at Columbia University's Center for Behavioral and Cardiovascular Health told Health.
Higgins said the intensity of men's training can cause inflammation in the body.
Experts stressed that more research is needed to understand how women's bodies respond to exercise throughout their lives.
“We need more elegant prospective studies using 'wearable' laboratory-based assessments of effort versus calories expended, effects on vasodilation and response, and protective/adverse effects of hormones in each gender. ,” said Wael Jabbar, MD. A cardiologist at the Cleveland Clinic said: health. “Do female hormones protect against oxidative stress caused by exercise?” In women, do telomeres shorten less in response to exercise?
Dr. Rachel Maria Brown Taraska, director of inpatient cardiac services at Northwell Lenox Hill Hospital, said the study should motivate women, especially those with cardiovascular disease or risk factors, to exercise. . health.
“Women should leave this article recognizing that there are gender differences in response to physical activity and understanding that they can greatly benefit from working with their health care provider on a customized physical activity plan.” ” she said.
Although this study has implications for women, Boudreau noted that additional research is still needed to firmly establish gender-specific physical activity recommendations.
He said everyone should strive to meet current physical activity guidelines issued by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Guidelines recommend 150 to 300 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise, 75 to 100 minutes of vigorous aerobic exercise, or an equivalent combination of both types of exercise. They also recommend engaging in strength training at least two days a week.
People should also “limit the amount of time they sit throughout the day to achieve optimal health benefits and reduce the risk of death,” Boudreau said. “Individuals need to exercise with activities that are enjoyable for them, but they also need to be mindful of staying active throughout the day.”
He cites strategies for increasing physical activity in daily life, including taking the stairs instead of the elevator, having “walking meetings,” and parking farther from your destination.
“As always, a little exercise on a regular basis is better than none for all of us,” Higgins added.
