Greater Health Benefits for Women: The study involving over 400,000 adults in the United States reveals that, after an equal amount of physical activity, women experience greater long-term health benefits compared to men.
Lower Exercise, Higher Benefits: Despite lower exercise levels, women who engage in some weekly physical activity reduce the risk of all-cause mortality by 24%, compared to 15% for men.
Gender-Specific Exercise Doses: The research suggests that men and women require different doses of muscle strengthening and cardio exercises for optimal life expectancy benefits.
Cardio Differences: Men achieve peak survival benefits after five hours of cardio per week, while women attain the same benefits with just over two hours.
Weightlifting and Core Work: Men benefit most from three sessions a week, whereas women achieve similar gains with one session.
Physiological Variances: Potential physiological differences, like greater vascular conductance in women during exercise, could contribute to diverse health outcomes.
Public Health Implications: The findings challenge the "one-size-fits-all" approach to exercise recommendations, emphasizing the need to consider gender differences.