Is exercise more transformative for women’s health than men’s?

For women, the path to better health may not require quite as much effort as it does for men. A growing body of research suggests that women gain more longevity and cardiovascular protection from exercise, even when the amount is modest.

The findings don’t mean women should work out less, but they do offer reassurance to those who struggle to hit official targets.

The study that sparked headlines

A study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology tracked more than 412,000 U.S. adults without major underlying health problems between 1997 and 2017. By the end of 2019, nearly 40,000 participants had died, including more than 11,000 from cardiovascular disease.When researchers analyzed self-reported activity levels, they found striking sex differences.

Women who completed just 140 minutes of moderate exercise per week reduced their risk of premature death by 18%. Men needed more than twice as much—about 300 minutes per week—for a comparable benefit.

At the upper end of the spectrum, 300 minutes of moderate activity a week lowered the risk of premature death by 24% in women, compared with inactivity. For men, the gains were smaller. Strength training revealed a similar pattern: a single weekly session in women yielded the same longevity benefit that men achieved only after three.

“Our study doesn’t suggest that women should exercise less, but rather it encourages women who may not be getting enough exercise for various reasons, that even relatively small amounts of exercise can provide significant benefits,” said Dr. Hongwei Ji, co-author of the study from the Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University.

Why women may get more out of exercise

The numbers raise an obvious question: why do women see greater returns?Physiologists point to several biological factors. Estrogen, for example, supports vascular health and muscle recovery, giving women an extra boost from workouts. Women also tend to have more slow-twitch muscle fibers, which aid endurance and fatigue resistance.Body composition plays a role too. Even though men usually have greater absolute muscle mass, research suggests women gain proportionally more benefit per unit of effort, especially in strength training. A 2025 Washington Post report highlighted women’s higher resilience and recovery capacity, qualities that may amplify exercise’s protective effect.

Exercise, society, and everyday life

The social context matters as well. Women are often less likely to meet official exercise targets, partly due to time pressures, childcare responsibilities, or safety concerns. Household and caregiving activities, which can be physically demanding, often go uncounted in surveys. That means women’s real activity levels may be underestimated—and yet even their measured exercise shows outsized impact.Historically, medical and sports research has treated men as the default, with women’s health outcomes considered later.

As Time magazine noted, studies like this one help rebalance the picture, showing that female physiology deserves equal attention in public health messaging.Despite the sex differences, the study reinforces a truth that applies to everyone: any movement is better than none. Benefits build quickly with small amounts of regular activity, from brisk walking to light strength training.Dr. Ji and colleagues caution that their study relied on self-reported data, which can be imperfect, but the message remains clear—exercise is one of the most reliable ways to reduce the risk of premature death.For women, the silver lining is that even if daily life feels too crowded for long workouts, smaller doses can make a measurable difference. For men, more minutes may be needed, but the payoff is still substantial.