Women Gain More from Exercise Than Men, Study Finds

Why and How: Regular physical activity is widely known to reduce the risk of mortality—especially from cardiovascular disease. However, new research suggests that exercise may offer greater health benefits for women than for men.

According to a groundbreaking 2024 study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology and highlighted by LiveScience, researchers analyzed data from over 412,000 U.S. adults aged 27 to 61, 55% of whom were women.

Price in Dollars: While exercise itself may be free, the health care savings are significant. Preventing cardiovascular events like heart attacks or strokes can save individuals $20,000 to $100,000 in medical costs over a lifetime.

What They Found: From 1997 to 2017, participants reported their activity type, frequency, duration, and intensity. By linking these responses with national death records through 2019, scientists discovered that women experienced a sharper reduction in mortality risk from regular workouts than men did.

“Women don’t need to exercise as much as men to achieve significant benefits. Even low to moderate activity levels can have a powerful impact,” — Dr. Susan Cheng, cardiologist and co-author of the study.

Key Thoughts:

• 🏃 Women showed up to 24% lower risk of death from any cause with just 2.5 hours of weekly moderate activity.
• ❤️ Cardiovascular-related deaths were significantly lower among active women compared to inactive ones.
• 💡 Men still benefited—but needed longer or more intense workouts to reach similar levels of protection.

Expert Opinions:

“This study shows why we must tailor health advice by gender. Women’s hearts may respond more efficiently to less exertion,” — Dr. Nieca Goldberg, American Heart Association.

Conclusion: This study underlines the life-saving power of consistent exercise and how gender-specific approaches to fitness could improve public health outcomes. It also highlights the need to make fitness more accessible for everyone—especially women, who may gain more with less effort.

Sources: Journal of the American College of Cardiology (2024), LiveScience, NHIS, American Heart Association