Back in 2019, Apple announced a trio of new research studies, including the Apple Women’s Health Study in partnership with Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and the NIH’s National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences.
Researchers have shared several updates in the years since the study began, including one this week.
In an update published on the Harvard website this month, researchers shared new insight into whether participants in the Apple Women’s Health Study change their exercise patterns based on their menstrual cycle.
Researchers reviewed more than 22 million workouts across more than 110K participants and found that:
- Walking, cycling, running, functional strength training, and yoga were the top five types of exercise across cycles.
- Participants with regular cycles typically had 20.6 minutes of exercise per day. Participants with irregular cycles typically had 18.6 minutes per day.
- The median daily exercise time was 21 minutes during the follicular phase and 20.9 minutes during the luteal phase, showing little variation across menstrual cycle phases.
Shruthi Mahalingaiah, MD, MS, principal investigator on the Apple Women’s Health Study said:
“Exercise can have a positive impact on hormonal health. Not only can it improve things like mood or energy levels in the short term, but any type of regular movement can also reduce risk for health issues long term. As a physician, what I tell my patients is that it’s most important to just find an enjoyable and consistent exercise routine that works for you personally so that you can sustainably reap the benefits throughout your whole lifespan.”
Find more insights from the Apple Women’s Health Study on the Harvard website.
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.
