Study Finds Major Gender Exercise Gap That Favors Women Over Men

Jessica_Rose · December 09, 2024, 10:21:07 AM

Study Finds Major Gender Exercise Gap That Favors Women Over Men

https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/other/study-finds-major-gender-exercise-gap-that-favors-women-over-men/ar-BB1iRQfn?ocid=windirect&cvid=d8cbe914a47b42cbbe3bf317daf26d4f&ei=51

Story by Stacey Ritzen (March 2024)

Women have always been taught that men have an easier time building muscle, but when it comes to the cardiovascular benefits of exercise, the fairer sex have a leg up.

This is according to a new study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, which found that women gain more overall benefits from doing the same amount of physical activity as men.

Participants provided details about the frequency, duration, intensity, and type of physical activity they engaged in during cardiovascular exercise. In examining the data, researchers learned that men gained their maximum "survival benefit" from doing five hours per week of "moderate to vigorous aerobic physical activity," such as brisk walking or cycling.

However, women achieved that same benefit after just 2½ hours of moderate to vigorous exercise per week.

When it came to strength training, the gap was even wider. Women required just one session of strength training exercises per week to gain the same outcome as men, who reached their maximum benefit from three weekly sessions.

And that's not the only way women came out on top. While overall mortality risk decreased across all participants in the study, it was reduced for women by 24 percent and just 15 percent for men.

Lori Dee · December 09, 2024, 12:56:53 PM

The evidence is out there. It is just that no one is looking at it.

Existing literature comprises cross-sectional or small uncontrolled longitudinal studies of short duration. In nonathletic trans men starting testosterone therapy, within 1 year, muscle mass and strength increased and, by 3 years, physical performance (push-ups, sit-ups, run time) improved to the level of cisgender men. In nonathletic trans women, feminizing hormone therapy increased fat mass by approximately 30% and decreased muscle mass by approximately 5% after 12 months, and steadily declined beyond 3 years. While absolute lean mass remains higher in trans women, relative percentage lean mass and fat mass (and muscle strength corrected for lean mass), hemoglobin, and VO2 peak corrected for weight was no different to cisgender women. After 2 years of GAHT, no advantage was observed for physical performance measured by running time or in trans women. By 4 years, there was no advantage in sit-ups. While push-up performance declined in trans women, a statistical advantage remained relative to cisgender women.

Link to Source Article

News:

Study Finds Major Gender Exercise Gap That Favors Women Over Men

Jessica_Rose

Lori Dee