Exercise may have more significant heart-protecting effect on women: research

XIAMEN -- A study reveals that in the prevention and treatment of coronary heart disease, the cardiac protection benefits obtained by women through exercise may be significantly better than those of men.

This finding was recently published online in the international journal Nature Cardiovascular Research.

The research results were jointly released by a team led by Professor Wang Yan and associate researcher Chen Jiajin from Xiamen Cardiovascular Hospital Xiamen University and the Shanghai Chest Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, both located in East China.

Based on the wearable device data of 85,000 participants -- the research team systematically analyzed gender differences in the prevention and treatment of coronary heart disease through exercise. It found that women only need 250 minutes of exercise per week to reduce their risk of coronary heart disease by 30 percent, while men need 530 minutes, which is about twice as much as the time required by women, to achieve the same cardiovascular benefits.

Further analysis showed that among people who have been diagnosed with coronary heart disease, women who exercise for 51 minutes per week can reduce their risk of death by 30 percent, while men need to exercise for 85 minutes to achieve the same result.

Coronary heart disease is a major cause of human deaths. Institutions such as the World Health Organization recommend that adults should do at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity throughout the week, or do at least 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity physical activity, or an equivalent combination of both.

As some current guidelines still adopt a "one-size-fits-all" exercise standard, experts hope that the findings of this new research project will serve as a reference for efforts aimed at prevention and treatment of different gender groups -- in coping with coronary heart disease.