Does Exercise Affect Men And Women Differently?

A new study published in The Journal of the American College of Cardiology finds that exercise may affect men and women differently. 

It’s well known that exercise has a positive impact on everything from cardiovascular health to cognitive clarity to weight management. 

However, women persistently lag behind men in terms of physical activity — despite the fact that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends all adults get at least 150 minutes a week of moderate intensity activity and 2 days a week of activities that strengthen muscles, regardless of sex. (1)

This discrepancy is manifesting a “gender gap” that begins early in life and continues throughout adulthood. The purpose of the study was to examine the extent to which this gap in levels of activity translates into different outcomes. 

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What were the key findings? 

The study followed 412,413 adults, more than half of whom were women, to see how their physical activity levels related to their chances of dying, particularly from cardiovascular diseases.

The results, unsurprisingly, found that leisure-time physical activity (LTPA) — defined as physical activities that are performed at the discretion of the person and include things like sports, exercising, and recreational walking — significantly lowered the risk of dying for both women and men. (2)

The more interesting finding was that women seemed to benefit even more from the same amount of physical activity than men do. Specifically, compared to not exercising, regular physical activity lowered the risk of dying from any cause by 24% for women and 15% for men.

The study also found that the amount of activity needed to start seeing benefits was less for women (140 minutes per week) than for men (300 minutes per week). Both men and women saw the maximum benefit at about 300 minutes per week.

These benefits were consistent regardless of the type of physical activity, including both aerobic activities (like walking or cycling) and muscle-strengthening exercises.

The implications of this study

Of course, like any study, there are limitations. For instance, the physical activity information was collected from participants through a questionnaire, which may have led to inaccurate or biased self-reporting.

Also, although the primary focus of this analysis was on LTPA, other activities could have contributed to outcome differences — especially ones that are susceptible to differences by sex, such as household activities. 

While the methodology isn’t perfect, the results of this study are exciting because they suggest that existing physical activity guidelines, which currently don't differentiate between men and women, should be more personalized.

This could also open the door to additional research that focuses on how different factors, from age to race, may impact individuals differently. All of this suggests a step closer to more tailored, comprehensive approaches to healthcare. 

Key Takeaways:

• A new study finds that physical activity has different outcomes for men and women. 
• Specifically, women seem to benefit even more from the same amount of physical activity than men do.
• This implies that exercise recommendations may need to be more personalized in the future.