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New study finds exercise could be more beneficial for women than men
A new study has found that women may get better health benefits from doing regular exercise than men, and the authors hope this will inspire women to add more movement to their lives.
It studied the link between exercise and premature death and found that even when both genders got the same amount of physical activity, the risk of early death was considerably lower for women.
Study finds exercise may be more beneficial for women
The study, published in the�Journal of the American College of Cardiology and supported by the National Institute of Health, analysed data from more than 400,000 US adults ages 27-61.
They found that women were 24% less likely than those who do not exercise to experience death from any cause, while men were only 15% less likely. Women also had a 36% lower risk for a fatal heart attack, stroke, or other cardiovascular event, while men only had a 14% reduced risk.��
However, it’s still important for both genders to participate in regular exercise. The Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans recommends adults get at least 2.5 to 5 hours of moderate exercise or 1.25 to 2.5 hours of vigorous exercise each week, and two or more days of strength-based activities.
We hope this study will help everyone, especially women, understand they are poised to gain tremendous benefits from exercise, said Susan Cheng, M.D. “Women on average tend to exercise less than men and hopefully these findings inspire more women to add extra movement to their lives. ���
Anatomy could explain gender differences
The study’s authors said that variations in anatomy and physiology could explain why exercise may be more beneficial for women than men.
For example, men usually have a bigger lung capacity, larger hearts, more lean-body mass, and a greater proportion of fast-twitch muscle fibers.
This means that women may use extra respiratory, metabolic, and strength to do the same movement, reaping greater health rewards.
Another study in the National Library of Medicine explains that women have many anatomic and physiologic characteristics that distinguish their responses to exercise from men.
Women are smaller than men, have less muscle mass, and more fat mass for a given body size. Plus, their blood volume, stroke volume, and cardiac output are all lower.
Other reasons why exercise is great for women
Decreasing the risk of premature death isn’t the only reason why exercise is beneficial for women.
Rowan Cooke, Sport & Exercise Science Specialist at�Bulk said women’s metabolism decreases as they age, so physical activity is important for “promoting circulation, lowering blood pressure, and maintaining a healthy weight”.
Many women may not know that exercise can help regulate their hormonal balance, including estrogen and progesterone levels,” he continued. “Being hormonally balanced can have a positive effect on menstrual health, fertility, and menopausal symptoms.”
Plus, exercise also helps to release the ‘feel good’ hormone dopamine in both genders, which gives “feelings of pleasure, satisfaction, and motivation,” and endorphins, which “help with pain control and mood stabilisation”.
He recommended that women engage in walking, swimming, yoga and weight lifting to reap both physical benefits and mental ones.
