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Women exercise 18 minutes to men 30 minutes a day: A study at Oregon State University
– Reported, May 13, 2012
Women get an average of just 18 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous exercise a day, compared to 30 minutes for men, resulting in greater odds of developing “metabolic syndrome”.
Metabolic syndrome is a name for a group of conditions – including high cholesterol, high blood pressure and extra weight around the middle part of the body – which occur together and increase the risk of coronary disease, stroke, and Type 2 diabetes.
The researchers in the US initially were interested in the correlation between physical activity, depression and metabolic syndrome, and ended up finding a gender difference.
The study, now online in the journal Preventive Medicine, was conducted at Oregon State University by Paul Loprinzi and Bradley Cardinal, professor of social psychology of physical activity at OSU.
Loprinzi is now an assistant professor of exercise science at Bellarmine University. He conducted the research when he was a student in Cardinal’s lab at OSU.
Women are at greater risk of depression and illness because they get half as much exercise as men, researchers have found.
“The results indicate that regular physical activity participation was associated with positive health outcomes for both men and women; however, there was a greater strength of association for women,” Loprinzi said.
Looking at more than 1,000 men and women from a nationally represented sample, the researchers found that women were getting only about 18 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous exercise daily, compared to men who, on average, were getting 30 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous exercise daily.
“Those who get at least 30 minutes of exercise a day are less likely to be depressed, less likely to have high cholesterol and less likely to have metabolic syndrome,” Loprinzi said.
Credits: The Telegraph
More details at: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/9197589/Women-exercise-half-as-much-as-men.html
