Women Require Half The Amount Of Exercise As Men For Longevity
A recent study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology suggests that women require half the amount of exercise as men for longevity. This finding, according to Dr. Martha Gulati, co-author of the study and director of preventive cardiology at Cedars-Sinai in Los Angeles, is encouraging news for women who may find it challenging to stay motivated to exercise regularly.
Author:Rhyley CarneyReviewer:Paula M. GrahamFeb 23, 20242.9K Shares43.2K Views
A recent study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiologysuggests that women require half the amount of exercise as men for longevity. This finding, according to Dr. Martha Gulati, co-author of the study and director of preventive cardiology at Cedars-Sinai in Los Angeles, is encouraging news for women who may find it challenging to stay motivated to exercise regularly. Dr. Gulati emphasizes that even a small amount of exercise can have significant benefits for women's health, highlighting the importance of incorporating physical activity into daily routines.
The study revealed that men who engaged in approximately 300 minutes of aerobic exercise per week experienced an 18% decrease in the risk of mortality compared to inactive men. However, women achieved equivalent benefits with just 140 minutes of weekly exercise, resulting in a 24% lower risk of death for those who engaged in around 300 minutes of movement per week. Beyond 300 minutes of weekly exercise, longevity benefits seemed to level off for both genders.
Similarly, when analyzing muscle-strengthening exercises like weight training, researchers observed a similar trend. For women, a single weekly strength-training session provided comparable longevity benefits to three weekly sessions for men.
Dr. Gulati points out that women typically have less muscle mass than men. Therefore, they may experience greater benefits from smaller doses of strength training due to starting with less muscle mass. Additionally, physiological differences between the sexes, such as variations in the lungs and cardiopulmonary system, may also contribute to these findings.
To arrive at their conclusions, Dr. Gulati and her team analyzed self-reported exercise behaviors from over 400,000 adults in the United States who participated in the National Health Interview Survey between 1997 and 2017. They then compared this data with records of participants' deaths. Approximately 40,000 individuals passed away during the study period.
It's important to note that this observational approach, where researchers examine patterns in existing data, cannot establish a cause-and-effect relationship. There's a possibility that exercise itself didn't directly lead to longer lifespans; rather, individuals who were more active might have generally been healthier or had other lifestyle habits conducive to longevity.
To address this, the researchers attempted to mitigate potential confounding factors by excluding individuals with serious preexisting conditions or mobility limitations, as well as those who passed away within the first two years of the study, who might have been in poor health from the outset.
The study's reliability was also constrained by its dependence on self-reported exercise data, which can sometimes be unreliable. Moreover, the survey primarily focused on leisure-time physical activity, potentially overlooking exercise undertaken during work or household chores - types of movement increasingly recognized for their significant health benefits.
Due to these limitations, Dr. Gulati emphasizes the need for further research to validate the findings. However, she highlights that this study, along with others that have yielded similar results, underscores the importance of recognizing that "women are not just small men." It emphasizes the necessity of integrating sex-based distinctions into both research endeavors and public health policies. Dr. Gulati notes that historically, the standard has often been based on male-centric data, even when it might not accurately represent female physiology or health outcomes.
The federal guidelines for physical activity provide a uniform recommendation for all U.S. adults: aim for a minimum of 150 minutes of moderate aerobic exercise (or 75 minutes of vigorous cardio) per week, along with two sessions of muscle-strengthening exercises. However, data from 2020 indicates that only about 28% of U.S. men and 20% of U.S. women meet both of these benchmarks.
Dr. Gulati's research suggests that women may still experience significant longevity benefits even if they don't quite reach these targets. However, she emphasizes that the study's findings shouldn't discourage men either.
Recent research indicates that individuals of both genders can derive benefits from even short bouts of activity. Just a few minutes of movement each day can contribute to improved longevity and overall health.
The study revealed that men who engaged in approximately 300 minutes of aerobic exercise per week experienced an 18% decrease in the risk of mortality compared to inactive men. However, women achieved equivalent benefits with just 140 minutes of weekly exercise, resulting in a 24% lower risk of death for those who engaged in around 300 minutes of movement per week. Beyond 300 minutes of weekly exercise, longevity benefits seemed to level off for both genders.
Similarly, when analyzing muscle-strengthening exercises like weight training, researchers observed a similar trend. For women, a single weekly strength-training session provided comparable longevity benefits to three weekly sessions for men.
Dr. Gulati points out that women typically have less muscle mass than men. Therefore, they may experience greater benefits from smaller doses of strength training due to starting with less muscle mass. Additionally, physiological differences between the sexes, such as variations in the lungs and cardiopulmonary system, may also contribute to these findings.
To arrive at their conclusions, Dr. Gulati and her team analyzed self-reported exercise behaviors from over 400,000 adults in the United States who participated in the National Health Interview Survey between 1997 and 2017. They then compared this data with records of participants' deaths. Approximately 40,000 individuals passed away during the study period.
It's important to note that this observational approach, where researchers examine patterns in existing data, cannot establish a cause-and-effect relationship. There's a possibility that exercise itself didn't directly lead to longer lifespans; rather, individuals who were more active might have generally been healthier or had other lifestyle habits conducive to longevity.
To address this, the researchers attempted to mitigate potential confounding factors by excluding individuals with serious preexisting conditions or mobility limitations, as well as those who passed away within the first two years of the study, who might have been in poor health from the outset.
The study's reliability was also constrained by its dependence on self-reported exercise data, which can sometimes be unreliable. Moreover, the survey primarily focused on leisure-time physical activity, potentially overlooking exercise undertaken during work or household chores - types of movement increasingly recognized for their significant health benefits.
Due to these limitations, Dr. Gulati emphasizes the need for further research to validate the findings. However, she highlights that this study, along with others that have yielded similar results, underscores the importance of recognizing that "women are not just small men." It emphasizes the necessity of integrating sex-based distinctions into both research endeavors and public health policies. Dr. Gulati notes that historically, the standard has often been based on male-centric data, even when it might not accurately represent female physiology or health outcomes.
The federal guidelines for physical activity provide a uniform recommendation for all U.S. adults: aim for a minimum of 150 minutes of moderate aerobic exercise (or 75 minutes of vigorous cardio) per week, along with two sessions of muscle-strengthening exercises. However, data from 2020 indicates that only about 28% of U.S. men and 20% of U.S. women meet both of these benchmarks.
Dr. Gulati's research suggests that women may still experience significant longevity benefits even if they don't quite reach these targets. However, she emphasizes that the study's findings shouldn't discourage men either.
Recent research indicates that individuals of both genders can derive benefits from even short bouts of activity. Just a few minutes of movement each day can contribute to improved longevity and overall health.
Rhyley Carney
Author
Paula M. Graham
Reviewer
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