Study Finds Women Need Half Exercise Men Do for Same Heart Disease Risk Reduction

Recent research analyzing data from over 85,000 adults using wrist-worn accelerometers reveals that women gain significantly greater heart health benefits from exercise compared to men. Women who meet or exceed 150 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) weekly reduce their coronary heart disease (CHD) risk by 22%, while men see a 17% reduction for the same activity level. However, to achieve comparable heart protection, women require about 250 minutes of weekly exercise, whereas men need more than double that amount, around 530 minutes. Among individuals with existing CHD, active women exhibited a 70% lower risk of death, contrasting with about a 20% reduction in active men. These findings challenge current one-size-fits-all exercise guidelines and suggest that biological factors such as estrogen's role in fat metabolism and differences in muscle composition contribute to women's more efficient exercise response. Consequently, experts recommend updating cardiovascular exercise guidelines to reflect these sex-specific differences in physical activity benefits.