Strength Training Cuts Heart Attack Risk by 44% in Women

A large-scale study of 117,025 women from the Nurses' Health Study cohorts, followed for an average of 14.5 years, found that women who performed at least two hours of resistance training per week had a 44% lower risk of heart attack compared with those who did none. The same group experienced a 20% reduction in overall cardiovascular disease risk, with each additional hour of weekly strength training linked to a further 5% risk decline. The benefit persisted after adjusting for lifestyle factors and was consistent across age and body‑mass‑index categories. Researchers also noted that combining resistance training with aerobic exercise amplified heart‑health advantages. Separate reports highlighting two‑hour weekly strength training similarly emphasized its potential to reverse aspects of heart aging and lower cardiac event rates by up to 44%.

These findings reinforce the role of regular strength conditioning as a practical, time‑efficient intervention for improving long‑term cardiovascular health in middle‑aged women.