A recent study conducted by the Schmidt Heart Institute has shed light on an intriguing finding: women may reap greater long-term health benefits from regular physical activity compared to men, even with less exercise.
Examining data from over 400,000 adults in the United States over a period of more than two decades, the study explored the relationship between physical activity levels and mortality rates.
The results unveiled a striking contrast: women who engaged in any form of physical activity on a weekly basis, regardless of intensity or duration, experienced a notable reduction in all-cause mortality risk, reaching up to 24% compared to inactive women. Conversely, men required a higher level of activity to achieve similar risk reductions.
Interestingly, while male participants saw the greatest survival benefit after five hours of weekly cardiovascular exercise, women achieved comparable results with just over two hours of moderate-to-vigorous cardio.
The study underscores potential sex-based disparities in the health benefits of exercise, suggesting that men and women may have distinct requirements for optimal physical activity levels. It raises important questions regarding the underlying biological factors driving these differences and emphasizes the need for tailored exercise recommendations tailored to different populations.
The researchers highlight physiological studies demonstrating that women exhibit greater vascular conductance and blood flow during exercise, coupled with a higher capillary density per unit of skeletal muscle compared to men. Despite generally lower baseline muscle strength in women, strength training yields proportionally greater improvements in strength for females, a factor strongly linked to mortality.
In summary, while further research is warranted to elucidate the complexities of sex-based disparities in exercise benefits, the study underscores the importance of recognizing and accommodating these differences in developing personalized exercise guidelines for optimal health outcomes.