Regular exercise is well-documented for lowering the risk of mortality, particularly from heart-related issues. However, studies indicate that the degree of risk reduction differs by gender, with some individuals needing less exercise to reap the benefits.
This raises the question: who needs to exercise more to effectively lower the risk of death among women and men?
According to a large-scale survey published in 2024, women may experience these survival advantages more readily than men. This finding comes from a comprehensive study featured in the American Journal of Cardiology encompassing data from over 412,000 American adults aged 27-61, with 55% of participants being women.
Co-lead author Dr. Martha Grati, Director of Preventive Cardiology at the Smit Heart Institute at Cedars Sinai, stated, “The beauty of this study is that women can achieve greater benefits from even a small amount of moderate to intense activity compared to men.” She added that this concept encourages women to prioritize their heart health.
The research utilized data collected through the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS), the most extensive and long-standing health survey in the United States, gathering information from 1997 to 2017.
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The study included inquiries about the types of exercises performed, along with their frequency, duration, and intensity. It also collected demographic, socioeconomic, and health condition data from participants, excluding those with specific pre-existing health issues like coronary heart disease or cancer.
Researchers also referenced data from the National Death Index, a database of death records, to determine mortality rates for all causes, including cardiovascular-related deaths. By linking NHIS data with these death records, researchers tracked over 39,935 fatalities, with 11,670 related to cardiovascular issues.
Of the respondents, about 32% of women and 43% of men reported engaging in regular aerobic exercise for at least 150 minutes weekly. Results indicated that women who exercised regularly experienced a 24% lower risk of all-cause mortality compared to inactive women, while men noted a 15% risk reduction.
Notably, women attained these survival benefits more rapidly than men. Men saw the highest reduction in mortality risk with around 300 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) weekly, resulting in an 18% decrease in all-cause mortality. Conversely, women enjoyed similar benefits with just 140 minutes of MVPA per week.
For women, exceeding an exercise frequency of once a week conferred additional advantages, peaking at around 300 minutes of MVPA weekly.
This trend persisted across all exercise levels, as women consistently exhibited “proportionally greater benefits” from exercise compared to men.
Approximately 20% of women and 28% of men reported engaging in strength training, such as weight lifting, more than twice a week. On average, women performed about 0.85 sessions weekly, while men averaged 1.25.
Women who strength-trained at least twice weekly had a 19% lower risk of mortality compared to inactive women, whereas men reported an 11% lower risk.
These benefits were particularly pronounced concerning cardiovascular health.
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Women engaged in aerobic exercise showed a 36% lower risk of cardiovascular death than inactive counterparts, while active men experienced a 14% reduction in risk. Strength training yielded similar results, leading to a 30% reduction in cardiovascular mortality for women and an 11% reduction for men.
“We were most surprised by the fact that women who exercised their muscles reduced their cardiovascular mortality by 30%,” stated Gulati in an NPR interview. “Few interventions yield such significant reductions in mortality rates,” she added.
This study had some limitations, including reliance on self-reported exercise data, which depended on participants accurately recounting their activity levels. The study did not account for exercises incorporated into household chores or work, which could have influenced the outcomes. Additionally, the research did not explore potential unnoticed health issues or variations in exercise habits over time.
Nonetheless, these results are consistent with findings from a 2011 meta-analysis in the journal Circulation which concluded that the correlation between reduced risk of mortality and exercise is stronger in women than in men.
The researchers behind this 2024 study aim to motivate more women to engage in traditional aerobic exercises and muscle-strengthening routines, including weight training.
“We aspire that this pioneering research encourages women who are not currently active to recognize that even small increases in regular physical activity can yield substantial long-term health benefits,” stated Dr. Christine Albert, Chair of the Smidt Heart Institute’s Faculty of Cardiology, who was not directly involved in the study.
This article is for informational purposes only and is not intended to offer medical or fitness advice.
Source: www.livescience.com