Why Women Deserve Their Own Health Research

I need to tell you something that I didn’t fully realize until I dove deeper into this journey…most of what we think we know about losing weight, gaining muscle, and even feeling mentally well is based on research done on men.

Not women. Not our bodies. Not our biology. Men. It makes sense in a frustrating kinda way when you finally hear it, but it also feels like being handed instructions for a car and then trying to use them on a boat and wondering why nothing seems to work quite the same.

I remember the first time I compared a “weight loss for women” article to one that sounded exactly the same but was clearly written for men. I stared at my coffee and thought, “Wait…where do I fit?” That feeling of confusion and self doubt creeps in so easily when the rules don’t match your body…especially when science should be helping us not guessing.

This is just me saying what I’ve learned as I read studies, talked to health pros, and noticed the gaps in how advice actually applies to us.

Here’s the deal…most clinical studies historically used male subjects when testing metabolism, exercise outcomes, dieting effects, muscle gain, and even mental health markers. That means hundreds of textbooks, websites, and fitness programs are built on data that’s kinda like saying “one size fits most people…oh but we really meant men.” And women…we get told to follow the same rules.

Biologically, women are different in so many ways that matter for health and fitness. We have different body composition with proportionally more fat mass and men more muscle mass on average. That changes how fat is stored and used for energy. It changes how exercise affects our bodies. It even changes how disease risk shows up. Scientists have found that women have a higher percentage of fat mass and lower lean muscle compared to men with the same BMI. They also distribute fat differently and metabolize it differently. That is not just a detail…that is central to how diets and workouts need to be understood in women’s bodies.

Source: PubMed

And it’s not just how our bodies are shaped. Our muscles function differently too. Some research shows that female muscle cells are better at using fat for energy, while male muscle cells rely more on glucose and fast-twitch bursts. That sounds like subtle science talk…but it matters when someone tells you to “just eat less and move more” like we all respond the same way.

Source: Diabetes.co.uk

There are even real differences in weight loss patterns. In some controlled settings when men and women follow similar diet and exercise plans, men often lose weight faster or more easily at first. That doesn’t mean women are doing it wrong…just that our bodies adapt differently to energy restriction and exercise.

Source: Cambridge University Press & Assessment

And here’s where it gets really personal. A huge national exercise study found women may get the same heart health benefits from less exercise than men but are still given the same blanket guidelines. That’s cool for motivation but also confusing if you wonder why your workout feels different than what the standard says.

Source: Live Science

I know you’ve felt it too. You follow the plan, you read the “science backed tips,” and sometimes it feels like your body is moving in slow motion while the internet promises instant results. That disconnect isn’t just in your head…there is a gap between how research is done and how women’s bodies respond. And that gap matters.

We need more research that focuses on women’s bodies. Not just “including women” as an afterthought, but centering biological sex differences when studies are designed. Because when science doesn’t reflect you, the advice you get feels like a half truth. And half truths keep us confused and second guessing ourselves.

That’s why I’m focusing on women’s health specifically. Not because men’s health isn’t important…obviously it is. But because women have been studied less and then expected to fit into the same frameworks. That means we miss things like how our metabolism really works, how hormones influence our strength gains or weight loss, and how mental health symptoms can show up differently in our bodies.

So if you’ve ever felt like fitness advice is written for someone else…you’re not imagining it. And you’re not alone. We need research that looks at women in all their complexity. Not just as a secondary note, but as the main subject. Because our bodies deserve plans built for us, not adaptations of someone else’s.

And here’s my favorite part…you don’t have to wait for perfect research to make progress. You just need to understand that your body is its own perfect imperfect self doing the best it can with the biology you have. And that is enough as you keep creating your path forward.