A new investigation presents an optimistic perspective in the exercise discourse: women experience greater heart health benefits from each minute of physical activity than men do. Documented in Nature Cardiovascular Research on October 27, 2025, this UK Biobank study utilized wrist accelerometers to monitor actual activity levels rather than depending on recall-based surveys, subsequently assessing heart health outcomes over multiple years. The primary finding is quite clear: women reach equivalent risk reduction benchmarks with significantly lesser amounts of weekly moderate to vigorous physical activity.
Researchers scrutinized accelerometer information from 80,243 adults free of coronary heart disease (CHD) to examine new occurrences, and 5,169 adults already diagnosed with the condition to investigate survival rates. Approximately half of the CHD-free participants adhered to the recommended guideline of 150 minutes per week, with a smaller percentage of CHD patients achieving this. Exercise was advantageous for both genders, though it yielded a more substantial per-minute benefit for women.
Envision the dataset as tens of thousands of ticking timepieces, cataloging every brisk stroll, gardening activity, commute, and stair ascent. These objective metrics facilitated precise measurement of dosage and response. A 30 percent decrease in CHD risk for women was attained at approximately 250 minutes per week of moderate to vigorous activity. In contrast, men required around 530 minutes to attain a similar advantage. Among individuals with pre-existing CHD, physical activity showed a more pronounced survival benefit for women than for men.
“In this extensive prospective study utilizing PA data monitored by wrist-worn accelerometers among over 85,000 participants, we identified significant sex disparities in clinical outcomes of PA concerning CHD incidence and mortality.”
Current recommendations from AHA, ESC, and WHO suggest a uniform target for everyone: 150 minutes each week. This recent research does not imply that men should decrease their activity or that women should conclude at 250 minutes. Instead, it promotes two essential concepts. First, precision holds more value than averages, and wearable technology can assist in tailoring activity objectives. Second, the evidence highlights that moderate and consistent movement offers considerable heart protection for women, an essential insight given the exercise participation gap.
Possible Explanations for the Discrepancy
Physiological factors may hold answers. Estrogen influences substrate utilization during physical activity, and muscle composition varies by sex, generally enhancing oxidative capacity in women and greater glycolytic capacity in men. These disparities may yield different cardiometabolic advantages per minute of comparable intensity. The authors exercise caution, noting that the mechanisms remain speculative and the observational nature of the study cannot establish causality. Nevertheless, the observed pattern persisted across various sensitivity tests.
In-depth findings are revealing. Each additional day that participants matched the daily equivalent of the 150-minute guideline was linked to diminished CHD risk, particularly among women. In cases of CHD, an increase in guideline-adhering days was associated with reduced all-cause mortality, indicating a sharper gradient for women. Dose-response curves based on accelerometer findings distinctly depict these patterns, underscoring that significant cardiovascular advantages do not necessitate life alterations, especially for women beginning from low activity levels.
“In comparison to males, females receive equivalent health rewards with merely half the exercise duration.”
Implications for Everyday Recommendations
For healthcare practitioners, public health organizations, and app developers, the take-home message is unambiguous. Wearable technology can convert a broad weekly total into achievable daily targets. For women, especially those managing unpaid caregiving or strict schedules, this evidence supports attainable goals that still provide significant risk mitigation. For men, the reminder is not adverse but a nudge that additional minutes are frequently needed for equivalent protection, and that consistency throughout the week is advantageous.
There are caveats. The UK Biobank typically represents a healthier and less socioeconomically challenged demographic than the broader population, which may influence the applicability of findings. While the mortality analysis is persuasive, it involved a smaller number of events, and CHD-specific fatalities were rare. Biological justifications for the gender gap await further mechanistic exploration. Despite this, the foundational trend continues to be apparent in the objective movement data from over 85,000 participants.
In practical terms, if advising a woman doubtful of finding an hour daily, suggest that 35 minutes on most days, executed briskly, is not only sufficient but powerful. For men, guide them toward approximately an hour on most days for comparable advantages. Most importantly, connect objectives to wearable gadgets, monitor steps, and cycling commutes. For many women, the route to a healthier heart might be shorter than previously thought.
Nature Cardiovascular Research: 10.1038/s44161-025-00732-z
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