Men need twice as much exercise as women to prevent heart disease, study finds

Men may need to exert twice as much effort as women to fight heart disease.

That’s according to a new Chinese study which found that men need twice as much exercise as women to reduce their risk.

The study, published in the journal Nature Cardiovascular Research, analyzed data from more than 85,000 participants from the UK Biobank to identify gender differences in physical activity and the incidence of coronary heart disease (also known as coronary heart disease).

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Data was extracted from wearable accelerometers, such as smart watches, over a defined period of time to measure the amount of moderate to vigorous physical activity.

The participants, who did not have coronary heart disease at the start of the study, were followed for almost eight years to determine how many of them developed heart disease and how many died from it.

Men need twice as much exercise as women to prevent coronary heart disease, research suggests. (iStock)

The mean age of the incidence study was approximately 61 years and 57.3% were female. The mortality study had a mean age of approximately 66 years and 30% were women.

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After adjusting for other heart disease risk factors, such as BMI (body mass index) and smoking, researchers found a “notable” difference between men and women.

Specifically, they found that women had lower levels of risk with half the minutes of activity than men.

The association between coronary heart disease risk and physical activity was consistent for both disease onset and mortality. (iStock)

When it came to developing heart disease, an extra 30 minutes of exercise per week was associated with a 2.9% lower risk in women and 1.9% in men.

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Meeting the standard of 150 minutes per week of recommended exercise reduced the risk of incidence in women by 22%, while the risk in men was reduced by 17%.

An additional extended training program of 300 minutes, or five hours, per week reduced the risk by 21% for women and only 11% for men.

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To reduce the risk of coronary heart disease incidence by about 30%, women need about 250 minutes of exercise per week, while men need about 530 minutes, according to researchers.

To reduce the risk of coronary heart disease incidence by about 30%, women need about 250 minutes of exercise per week, while men need about 530 minutes. (iStock)

When it comes to mortality from heart disease, sticking to 150 minutes of exercise per week reduced the risk for women by 70%, and only 19% for men.

To reduce mortality from coronary heart disease by 30%, women need about 51 minutes of exercise per week and men need about 85 minutes.

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The researchers commented in the study that these findings “highlight the value of gender-tailored coronary heart disease prevention strategies, using wearable devices, which can help close the ‘gender gap’ by motivating women to engage in physical activity.”

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Fox News senior medical analyst Dr. Marc Siegel spoke about the study on “America’s Newsroom” on Tuesday.

“I can tell you, having been married for almost 30 years, that women are better than men. There’s no doubt about it,” he said. “Physiologically, spiritually, women are superior.”

To reduce mortality from coronary heart disease by 30%, women need about 51 minutes of exercise per week and men need about 85 minutes. (iStock)

Siegel noted that men have higher levels of testosterone, which is “bad for cholesterol,” and tend to accumulate fat “in the wrong places” in the gut, leading to inflammation.

“We smoke more, we drink more, we don’t exercise as much,” Siegel said of men in general. “All of this puts us at risk for heart disease.”

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According to the doctor, women “start to catch up” after menopause, even if it “takes a long time.”

“With all these risks, (men) need to exercise much more than women to compensate,” Siegel added.