Studies have found that women get more out of each minute of physical activity than men

Researchers at the American College of Cardiology show that women need fewer weekly sessions of physical activity than men to achieve the same level of health benefits.

Sports increase life expectancy, it is known, but with the same effort, women benefit from the benefits of physical activity faster than men, according to an American study published in February 2024 by the American College of Cardiology. It covers 400,000 adults. 27 to 60 and effectively shows that men and women are not equal in terms of the benefits of sports.

Among adults who practice the same amount of regular physical activity, mortality is reduced by an average of 15% in men, while it is reduced by 24% in women, so they benefit more from every minute of physical activity. While in men, the maximum benefit in terms of survival comes from five hours of brisk walking or cycling per week, women achieve the same benefit in terms of survival, after only 2.5 hours per week.

Similar results are seen for strengthening muscles. If, instead of cycling or brisk walking, men and women start lifting dumbbells, or doing core workouts, again the risk of mortality is reduced for both sexes, but somewhat unequally. While men get maximum muscle building benefits for their lifespan by doing three or more sessions per week. Women only need one session to achieve the same level of health benefits.

Physiology of organisms

Researchers at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles suggest that an explanation undoubtedly needs to be found in the physiology of organisms. Because women’s respiratory capacity and their muscle mass are statistically lower than men’s, with the same physical effort, women have higher body involvement, the researchers suggest. So they also get the benefit of it.

The authors hope that these statistics will motivate adults in general to do more sports. A third of adults in Europe and the United States are not physically active enough. They do not meet the WHO recommendations that practice at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity physical activity per week, in other words, for example, at least 2.5 hours of brisk walking or cycling.