For years, major medical organizations like the American Heart Association have recommended aiming to get at least 150 minutes of heart-pumping physical activity a week. But new research suggests that number should be higher — for men, at least.
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The study, published in the journal Nature Cardiovascular Research, suggests men and women should have different exercise goals to prevent heart disease — and that men should aim to do nearly twice as much activity as women.
“It’s a complex issue, but there clearly are some differences between men and women and exercise’s impact on disease risk,” says Kevin Shah, MD, cardiologist and program director of Heart Failure Outreach at MemorialCare Heart and Vascular Institute at Long Beach Medical Center in California, who was not involved with the study.
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The Study Lays Out Clear Exercise Guidelines
For the study, researchers analyzed data from more than 85,000 adults in the United Kingdom who were followed for about seven years. The researchers also looked at a weeklong period where the participants wore fitness trackers to see how their physical activity related to their risk of developing heart disease and dying.
The scientists focused on moderate-to-vigorous exercise, which elevates heart rate and breathing. “Think of it as anything that makes you break a sweat and talk in shorter sentences,” says Ragavendra Baliga, MBBS, a cardiologist at The Ohio State University in Columbus, who was not involved in the study.
Here were some of the key findings:
- Women without existing heart disease who hit the recommended 150 minutes of exercise a week saw their risk drop by 22 percent. For men who did the same, that risk decreased by 17 percent.
- Women without heart disease who logged 250 minutes of exercise each week lowered their risk of heart disease by about 30 percent. Men required 530 minutes to get the same benefit.
- Women with existing heart disease who exercised for 250 minutes a week dropped their risk of death by threefold compared with men with heart disease who did the same amount of activity — they required nearly twice as much exercise each week to reduce their risk of dying.
“This study provides additional evidence that we should be exercising more and getting as much activity as possible to lower cardiovascular disease risk,” says Joseph G. Rogers, MD, a cardiologist and director of The Texas Heart Institute at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston.
Why Do Men Need More Exercise?
The study didn’t explore why these sex differences exist, but cardiologists have a few theories.
“It’s likely due to differences in hormones and body composition,” Dr. Shah says. On the hormonal front, women have higher levels of circulating estrogen in the body, which can lead to more fat loss during exercise, Dr. Baliga says. “That allows them to gain more cardiovascular benefit from less activity compared to men,” he says.
Differences in muscle composition may also play a role, according to Baliga. Men typically have more fast-twitch muscles that are helpful for quick and powerful movements, while women tend to have more slow-twitch muscles that can allow for more workout efficiency.
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More Is Better When It Comes to Exercise
The study only looked at a week’s worth of physical activity data, making it hard to say for sure if this was the norm for participants. But doctors say it does offer a snapshot of how exercise may impact heart health.
Cardiologists acknowledge that it can be hard to get people to even meet the recommended 150 minutes of heart-pumping exercise a week, let alone more than that. Currently only 1 in 5 Americans reaches that 150-minute mark.
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But cardiologists also point out that the findings suggest that more exercise is better for heart health.
“These estimates reflect real-world activity captured by wearables — not optimistic guesses,” Baliga says. “So, yes, [the number of exercise minutes seen in the study are] higher than guidelines, but it affirms the value of consistent, daily movement over occasional workouts.”
The findings also suggest that sex-specific exercise guidelines may be important in the future, Shah says.
In a perfect world, Baliga says it can be helpful for men and women to do 40 minutes of brisk exercise each day, along with strength training at least twice a week. “Think of it as a daily dose of preventive medicine for your heart,” he says.
But Shah also stresses the importance of doing any level of activity. “There are some people who don’t exercise at all,” he says. “Studies like this demonstrate that something is better than nothing.”
