Men need more exercise for heart health than women, study finds

Men may need to exercise twice as much as women to achieve the same reduction in coronary heart disease risk, according to researchers.

- Ian Sample Science editor

Scientists found that the risk of heart disease fell 30% in women who clocked up 250 minutes of exercise each week. In contrast, men needed to reach 530 minutes, or nearly nine hours, a week to see the same effect.

The study builds on work that suggests women benefit more than men from the same amount of exercise, but that women are generally less physically active and less likely to meet recommended exercise targets.

Under NHS guidelines, people aged 16 to 64 should take at least 150 minutes of moderate exercise or 75 minutes of vigorous exercise each week, combined with muscle-strengthening activities at least twice a week.