Women can exercise less often than men and still experience greater cardiac benefits.
- When playing sports, the risk of death from cardiovascular causes was 24% lower in women and 15% lower in men.
- Men achieved their maximum survival benefit by doing moderate to vigorous physical activity for five hours per week.
- Women got the same heart benefits from exercising for about two and a half hours per week.
“Although physical activity is widely recommended to reduce the risk of cardiovascular and all-cause mortality, women consistently lag behind men when it comes to physical engagement,” the figures show. emphasized American and Chinese scientists. In a new study, they wanted to assess whether the health benefits derived from sport might differ depending on gender.
Physical activity: “the risk of mortality was reduced by 24% in women”
For the purposes of their work, the team analyzed data from 412,413 American adults, aged 27 to 61, between 1997 and 2019. Participants provided data on leisure-time physical activity. Researchers looked at gender-specific results regarding frequency, duration, intensity and type of exercise. According to the results, published in the journal Journal of the American College of Cardiologyfor all volunteers practicing regular physical activity, compared to inactivity, the risk of mortality was lower. “Curiously, the risk of mortality was reduced by 24% in women and 15% in men,” said Susan Cheng, co-author of the research.
Women benefit from the same cardiac benefits as men by doing 2 hours of sport per week
Next, the scientists focused on the effects of moderate to vigorous physical activity, such as brisk walking, running, jumping rope, or cycling. Finding: Men achieved their maximum survival benefit by doing this level of exercise for about 300 minutes, or five hours per week, while women obtained the same benefits by exercising for about 140 minutes, or two hours. and a half per week. “They continue to receive additional cardiac benefits from up to 300 minutes of physical activity per week,” said Martha Gulati, co-author of the study.
When it comes to muscle-strengthening activities, such as weightlifting or strength-training exercises, men achieved their maximum benefit by doing three sessions per week and women achieved the same cardiac benefits by performing approximately one session per week. .
“I hope this research will motivate women who are not currently engaged in regular physical activity to understand that they are able to reap huge benefits from every increase in regular exercise they can invest in their health at long term”, concluded Christine M. Albertdirector of the cardiology department at the Smidt Heart Institute.
