Men Need More Exercise Than Women to Cut Heart Disease Risk, Studies Find
Men Need More Exercise Than Women to Cut Heart Disease Risk, Studies Find
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Two new studies are reshaping understanding of how exercise affects health, revealing both sex differences in benefits and the importance of walking pace.
According to The Guardian, a major UK analysis published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology found that men must engage in nearly twice as much physical activity as women to achieve similar reductions in coronary heart disease (CHD) risk. Researchers at the University of Oxford examined data from over 80,000 adults aged 40 to 69 and found that women who exercised about 250 minutes per week lowered their CHD risk by 30 percent, while men required about 530 minutes for the same effect.
The study attributed the difference to possible hormonal and metabolic factors that influence how exercise protects cardiovascular health. Regular activity—particularly vigorous or sustained exercise—was linked to lower blood pressure and cholesterol across both sexes.
In a separate report published on SciTechDaily, researchers found that walking with purpose—at a faster pace and fewer idle steps—was associated with improved heart and metabolic health, regardless of total step count. The analysis, based on wearable-device data from 33,000 adults, highlights how step intensity can predict long-term wellness.
