Men May Need to Exert Twice the Effort as Women to Prevent Serious Health Risks

Men Need Twice as Much Exercise as Women to Combat Heart Disease, Study Finds

New research from China has revealed that men may need to exercise twice as much as women to achieve the same level of protection against heart disease, highlighting significant gender differences in cardiovascular health management.

The study, published in the journal Nature Cardiovascular Research, analyzed data from more than 85,000 participants in the U.K. Biobank who were monitored for nearly eight years. Researchers tracked physical activity through wearable accelerometers, such as smartwatches, to measure moderate to vigorous exercise and observed which participants eventually developed coronary heart disease or died from it.

The findings showed a striking disparity between genders. Women experienced significantly greater cardiovascular benefits from the same amount of exercise compared to their male counterparts. For instance, an additional 30 minutes of physical activity per week was associated with a 2.9% reduction in heart disease risk for women, but only a 1.9% reduction for men.

When participants met the standard recommended exercise regimen of 150 minutes per week, women’s risk of developing heart disease decreased by 22%, while men saw only a 17% reduction. The gap widened further with increased exercise: 300 minutes per week reduced women’s risk by 21%, but men’s risk decreased by just 11%.

The research team calculated that to achieve a 30% reduction in heart disease risk, women need approximately 250 minutes of weekly exercise, while men require 530 minutes—more than double the time.

Even more dramatic differences emerged when examining mortality rates. Following the 150-minute weekly exercise recommendation reduced women’s risk of death from heart disease by an impressive 70%, compared to only 19% for men. For a 30% reduction in mortality risk, women needed about 51 minutes of exercise weekly, while men required approximately 85 minutes.

Dr. Marc Siegel, Fox News senior medical analyst, discussed these findings on “America’s Newsroom,” attributing the disparity to several biological and lifestyle factors. Men have higher levels of testosterone, which can negatively affect cholesterol levels, and tend to accumulate fat in the abdominal region, which promotes inflammation—a known risk factor for heart disease.

“We smoke more, we drink more, we don’t exercise as much,” Dr. Siegel noted about men in general. “All of that puts us at risk for heart disease.”

The study also highlighted that women’s cardiovascular risk profile changes after menopause, when they begin to “catch up” to men in terms of heart disease susceptibility, though this happens gradually over time.

These findings have important implications for public health guidance and personalized exercise recommendations. The researchers emphasized the value of “sex-specific tailored coronary heart disease prevention strategies using wearable devices, which may help bridge the ‘gender gap’ by motivating females to engage in physical activity.”

Coronary heart disease, also known as coronary artery disease, remains one of the leading causes of death worldwide. This condition occurs when the blood vessels that supply the heart become narrowed or blocked due to plaque buildup, potentially leading to chest pain, heart attacks, and heart failure.

The study underscores the importance of regular physical activity for cardiovascular health while highlighting the need for gender-specific approaches to disease prevention. As wearable fitness technology becomes increasingly widespread, the ability to tailor exercise recommendations based on individual characteristics, including gender, may help optimize heart disease prevention strategies for both men and women.