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It is widely accepted that regular physical activity is a vital aspect of a healthy lifestyle. Regular exercise can improve your mental health and brain function, can help manage weight, decrease the risk of disease, strengthen bones and muscles and improve your ability to perform daily functions. While it has been proven that both women and men who exercise regularly are less likely to die a premature death of any cause, including a cardiovascular event, compared to those who have a sedentary lifestyle, the difference in the effects of regular exercise on women versus men had not been well researched. Results from a new study published last month in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology proved that women are bigger beneficiaries of exercise than men.

“Women who regularly exercise have a lower chance of premature death and fatal cardiovascular events compared to men who follow similar exercise habits.”

The researchers looked at a sample size of 400,000 men and women in the United States over the course of two decades and found that women who regularly exercise have a lower chance of premature death and fatal cardiovascular events compared to men who follow similar exercise habits. Not only did this emphasize the need for exercise for longevity, it actually exposed the potential for changing preconceived health outcomes, said Dr. Raj Dasgupta, a clinical associate professor at the University of Southern California who was not involved in the study. Dr. Dasgupta explains how heart disease is the leading cause of death for women in the United States and it is responsible for about one in every five female deaths. Cardiovascular issues can affect women at any age but research has shown that only about half (56 percent) of women in the U.S. recognize that heart disease is their number one cause of death.

“…men have to exercise twice the amount as women to reap the same health benefits.”

The study also revealed the difference in the duration of exercise necessary for women and men to reap the same benefits. For men, the researchers reported that around 300 minutes of moderate physical activity such as brisk walking or 110 minutes of vigorous exercise such as a spin class or jumping rope per week is enough to achieve increased longevity. For women, the researchers reported that 140 minutes, or 2.5 hours, of moderate aerobic exercise weekly led to an 18% reduced death risk while just 57 minutes of vigorous exercise a week produced 19% reduced death risk. These results show that in order for men to achieve the same longevity goals of 18%, they have to reach 300 minutes of aerobic exercise per week and to get to the 19% they have to hit 110 minutes of vigorous exercise weekly. That means that men have to exercise twice the amount as women to reap the same health benefits. Scientists found that reduced risk for death plateaued for both men and women at 300 minutes, or five hours, of aerobic physical activity per week with percentages of 24% for women and 18% for men. Similarly, the plateau for vigorous aerobic exercise was found at 110 minutes weekly with a reduced risk of premature death of 24% for women and 19% for men.

“…women may be exerting increased respiratory, metabolic and strength demands to execute the same movement and in turn reap greater health benefits.”

Not all types of exercise are created equal; aerobics and strength training are both necessary and beneficial in their own ways. The researchers found that women who regularly strength trained saw a 19% reduced risk of death and a 30% lower risk of a cardiovascular event. Fitting with the trend, men who performed regular strength training exercises only saw an 11% reduced risk of death and an 11% lower risk of cardiovascular events compared with those who were inactive. Dr. Tracy Zaslow, a primary care sports medicine specialist at Cedars-Sinai Kerlan-Jobe Institute in Los Angeles and a team physician for Angel City Football Club and LA Galaxy, explained that “females exhibit greater vascular conductance and blood flow during exercise, with females having a higher density of capillaries per unit of skeletal muscle when compared with males”. Although females generally have a lower baseline of muscle strength compared to males, when regularly strength training they experience greater relative improvements in strength, which is a stronger predictor of mortality than muscle mass. The authors of the study attributed the results to the variations in anatomy and physiology. For example, it is common for men to have larger hearts, more lean-body mass, a greater proportion of fast-twitch muscle fibers and increased lung capacity compared to women. Due to these factors, women may be exerting increased respiratory, metabolic and strength demands to execute the same movement and in turn reap greater health benefits.

“Building regular exercise habits from a young age is a great way to ensure physical activity becomes an integral part of your life and routine, making it easier to continue those habits into older age when they are most critical.”

The scientists of this study hope to convey the irrefutable value of any amount of exercise, especially for women. It is natural for one’s exercise habits to change and evolve with age and through major life events, but the importance of taking even 20-30 minutes of vigorous exercise a few times a week or choosing to walk instead of drive can provide a much greater benefit than one may realize. Building regular exercise habits from a young age is a great way to ensure physical activity becomes an integral part of your life and routine, making it easier to continue those habits into older age when they are most critical.