A few hours of physical exercise a week can protect the heart, but men need more activity than women, a new study shows.
Women benefit more from exercise – especially when it comes to heart health. According to research published in the journal Nature Cardiovascular Research, women who do about four hours of physical exercise per week can reduce their risk of developing coronary heart disease by 30% on average. In contrast, men need to do more than twice as much – nearly nine hours of physical activity per week – to get the same benefits, reports
Coronary heart disease causes narrowing or calcification of the heart’s blood vessels, which reduces blood supply to it. Risk factors include unhealthy diet, lack of exercise and smoking.
The study also shows that exercise can have health benefits even at moderate levels. About 2.5 hours of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity per week can reduce the risk of coronary heart disease by 22% in women and 17% in men.
Research has shown that even people who already suffer from heart disease can benefit from exercise. Women who practice moderate to intense physical activity for about 51 minutes a week have a lower risk of death, while men need about 85 minutes to achieve the same effect. In other words, for the same survival advantage, men must exert approximately 1.7 times more effort than women.
In general, the more days a week a person is physically active, the lower the risk of developing heart disease – regardless of gender.
Women’s biological advantage could be related to hormones and muscle structure. The estrogen hormone promotes fat burning and has a protective effect on blood vessels.
According to the study, women also have more endurance-oriented muscle fibers, while men have a greater number of strength- and speed-oriented muscle fibers. This could explain why women’s hearts become healthier with less exercise.
