If you think a quick jog or a few gym sessions a week will keep your heart in top shape, you might want to think again—especially if you’re a man. New research suggests men may need to exercise twice as much as women to maintain a healthy cardiovascular system.
### When It Comes to a Healthy Heart, Sex Matters
A large study published in *Nature Cardiovascular Research* examined how much exercise men and women need to lower their risk of heart disease. Researchers tracked more than 85,000 adults from the UK Biobank—people who did not have heart disease at the start—and followed them for nearly eight years.
Instead of relying on self-reported exercise habits, participants wore devices such as fitness trackers that recorded how much they actually moved throughout the day. The results revealed a surprising difference between men and women.
### Exercise Benefits: Women vs. Men
Women who exercised a few hours a week experienced major heart benefits. Specifically, women who got about four hours of moderate-to-vigorous activity weekly reduced their risk of heart disease by roughly 30%.
Men, however, needed nearly twice as much activity—around nine hours per week—to achieve the same level of protection.
The study also investigated deaths from coronary heart disease (CHD), which can lead to heart attacks. Women who met the standard exercise guidelines of about 150 minutes per week were 70% less likely to die from CHD. In contrast, men saw a much smaller reduction in mortality risk—only about 19%.
### Current Exercise Guidelines vs. Study Findings
Currently, major health organizations like the World Health Organization and the American Heart Association recommend the same amount of exercise for everyone: at least 150 minutes of moderate activity (like brisk walking) or 75 minutes of vigorous activity (like running) per week.
This study suggests that this one-size-fits-all recommendation may not be sufficient for men to achieve optimal heart health.
### Why the Difference? Biological and Hormonal Factors
The researchers did not pinpoint exactly why the results differ by sex but suspect biological and hormonal factors play a role. Women naturally produce more estrogen, which helps keep blood vessels flexible and may affect how the heart responds to physical activity.
Men and women also store fat differently and have different body compositions, which could influence how exercise impacts their cardiovascular systems.
A report published by PubMed Central explains:
> “While it is widely recognized that the female heart is smaller than the male heart, it has long been ignored that it also has a different microstructural architecture.
> On average, the mass of the adult female heart ranges from 230 to 280 g and is about 26% lighter than the male heart, which varies from 280 to 340 g. For both women and men, the mass of the heart continues to increase with age, and female hearts remain consistently smaller than male hearts.”
Women also tend to have higher resting heart rates than men, but their hearts take longer to transition from contraction to relaxation.
### Additional Factors Increasing Men’s Risk
Fox News senior medical analyst Dr. Marc Siegel discussed the study on *America’s Newsroom*, noting that men typically have higher testosterone levels, which can be “bad for cholesterol.” Men also tend to accumulate fat “in the wrong places,” such as in the gut, leading to inflammation.
Lifestyle factors contribute as well. Dr. Siegel pointed out, “We smoke more, we drink more, we don’t exercise as much. All of that puts us at risk for heart disease.”
### Sex-Specific Heart Disease Prevention
The study’s findings add to what doctors have long observed: men and women often experience heart disease differently. Women tend to develop heart disease later in life, often after menopause when estrogen levels decline, whereas men usually develop it earlier.
The authors emphasized the importance of tailored prevention strategies:
> “Our findings underscore the value of sex-specific tailored CHD [coronary heart disease] prevention strategies using wearable devices, which may help bridge the ‘gender gap’ by motivating females to engage in physical activity.”
### Participant Details and the Bigger Picture
The average age of participants was around 61, with 57.3% women included in the primary study. In the mortality analysis, the average age was 66, and women made up 30% of that group.
Heart disease remains the world’s leading cause of death, responsible for nearly 18 million deaths annually according to the World Health Organization. In the United States alone, it causes one in every five deaths.
—
**Bottom line:** While any exercise is better than none, men may need to double their workout time compared to women to significantly reduce heart disease risk. This new evidence could revolutionize exercise guidelines and promote more personalized heart health recommendations for both sexes.
https://www.libertynation.com/theres-no-gender-equality-in-heart-health/
Be First to Comment