Resistance training cuts heart disease risk for women

A large observational study of 117,025 women published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology found that regular resistance‑training exercises, especially when combined with aerobic activity, are associated with a substantially lower risk of serious cardiovascular events. Women who performed at least two hours of strength training per week showed a 20% lower risk of severe heart disease and a 44% lower risk of myocardial infarction compared with non‑exercisers. Each additional hour of weekly resistance training correlated with a further 5% reduction in serious heart disease risk. The benefit persisted even after adjusting for body‑mass index, diabetes, hypertension and cholesterol, and was strongest when participants also met aerobic‑exercise guidelines and limited sedentary television time.

These findings support existing American guidelines that recommend at least two days of resistance training and 150 minutes of moderate‑to‑high‑intensity aerobic activity each week for adults, emphasizing resistance work as an often overlooked preventive strategy for cardiovascular health in middle‑aged and older women.