Women may need less exercise than men to gain similar protection against coronary heart disease, according to a new study published in Nature Cardiovascular Research.
The findings come from an observational study of more than 85,000 adults in the United Kingdom who were followed for about seven years. Researchers used data from a one-time “snapshot” — a weeklong period of wrist-worn fitness tracker measurements — to examine how physical activity relates to heart disease risk and death rates.
The study found that women who got around four hours of moderate exercise each week lowered their risk of coronary heart disease by about 30%.
However, men needed nearly twice as much — about eight hours of similar activity — to achieve the same level of heart protection.
Additionally, women who already had heart disease experienced a threefold decrease in the risk of death compared with men with similar medical histories, who needed nearly twice as much weekly exercise to achieve a similar reduction in the risk of dying from any cause.
The American Heart Association recommends that adults get at least 2 1/2 hours per week of moderate-intensity physical activity, or 1 1/2 hours per week of vigorous activity, or a combination of both. But even when following those exercise recommendations, the study found that differences between the sexes emerged.
Across all groups, the study confirmed that being active at any level was associated with a lower risk of heart disease compared with leading a sedentary lifestyle, with active women experiencing a 5% greater reduction in risk than active men.
And the more exercise someone got, the lower their risk of heart disease and death, highlighting what experts refer to as a clear dose-response relationship between physical activity and heart health.