Men need to put in twice as much effort at the gym or on the running track to gain the same heart protection as women, according to a landmark British study that could revolutionise exercise recommendations.
The Surprising Gender Divide in Exercise Benefits
New research analysing health data from over 400,000 British adults has uncovered a remarkable disparity in how men and women benefit from physical activity. While both sexes see significant improvements in cardiovascular health from regular exercise, women achieve maximum protection with substantially less effort.
What the Numbers Reveal
The study found that women who engaged in just 140 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous aerobic activity weekly saw their risk of heart attacks, strokes and other cardiovascular events plummet. Men, however, needed to complete a staggering 300 minutes of similar exercise to achieve comparable protection.
"Women appear to get more bang for their buck when it comes to exercise," explained the lead researcher. "Their cardiovascular system seems to extract greater benefits from each minute of physical activity compared to men."
Why Women Might Have the Exercise Advantage
Scientists suggest several factors could explain this gender exercise gap:
- Physiological differences in muscle fibre composition and oxygen utilisation
- Hormonal variations that may enhance exercise efficiency
- Structural heart differences affecting how the cardiovascular system responds to stress
- Capillary density variations in muscle tissue
Current Guidelines Don't Reflect Reality
The findings challenge the NHS and World Health Organization's standard recommendation of 150 minutes of moderate exercise weekly for all adults. This one-size-fits-all approach may be leaving men under-protected while potentially over-prescribing for women.
What This Means for Your Workout Routine
For women concerned about heart health, the research offers encouraging news: significant protection is achievable with manageable exercise commitments equivalent to 20 minutes daily.
Men, however, may need to ramp up their fitness regimes to around 40-45 minutes daily to match these cardiovascular benefits. The study examined various exercise types, finding consistent patterns across activities including:
- Brisk walking and jogging
- Cycling and swimming
- Strength training sessions
- Sports and recreational activities
The bottom line: While current exercise guidelines provide a good foundation, tailoring your fitness plan to your gender could dramatically improve heart disease prevention. As one researcher noted, "We're moving toward an era of personalised exercise medicine where your workout prescription considers your biological sex, age and individual physiology."
