A recent study conducted by experts at the Schmidt Heart Institute in California has shed light on the differences in long-term health benefits gained from physical activity between men and women. The study, which tracked over 400,000 adults in the United States from 1997 to 2019, found that female individuals exhibited greater health benefits from the same dose of physical activity compared to males.
Despite engaging in substantially less physical exercise like brisk walking or cycling each week, female participants who engaged in at least some physical activity experienced up to a 24 percent reduction in the risk of dying from any cause. In contrast, male participants who engaged in regular physical activity only saw a 15 percent reduction in all-cause mortality. This suggests that women may require different doses of exercise than men to maximize the benefits to their life expectancy.
Optimal Exercise Duration for Men and Women
In the study, male participants reached their maximal survival benefit after five hours of cardio per week, while female participants achieved the same benefits with just over two hours of moderate to vigorous cardio per week. Similarly, males reached their peak survival benefit after three weightlifting or core body work sessions per week, whereas females saw the same benefits with just one session. These findings highlight the importance of tailored exercise recommendations based on sex.
Researchers are still unsure why these sex differences in response to exercise exist, but they speculate that women may utilize physical activity to train their cardiovascular system to work more efficiently due to less lean body mass and a higher density of capillaries per unit of skeletal muscle. This may explain why female individuals exhibit greater vascular conductance and blood flow during exercise compared to males.
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Implications for Public Health
The findings of this study suggest that public health recommendations for physical exercise should take into account the differences between men and women. Despite the common belief that women exercise less than men, their mortality risk is actually more significantly reduced for the same amount or frequency of exercise. This challenges the traditional notion of a “one-size-fits-all” approach to physical health and emphasizes the importance of considering individual differences based on sex.
The study highlights the need for more research to confirm these sex-specific associations and explore the underlying reasons for why women may require less exercise to achieve similar health benefits. By recognizing and addressing these sex differences in response to physical activity, public health initiatives can better support individuals in optimizing their long-term health and well-being.
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