2024-03-20 23:00:00
news Cycling to work reduces the risk of cancer and heart disease by almost half. This is what emerges from a study of more than 260,000 Britons aged 40 to 69 followed for five years. The study was published in the BMJ.
Going to work by bike: good for your health
People who cycled to work most often were those who were in better health. Compared to people who commuted to work more passively, cyclists had a 41% lower risk of death in the first five years. Their risk of cancer was 45% lower and that of cardiovascular disease was 46% lower. The risk of cancer also decreased among those who combined cycling and train.
Better to walk or cycle to work?
Subjects who walk to work are also healthier than more passive people, but slightly less so than cyclists. Walkers reduced the risk of heart disease by 27% and the risk of dying from these diseases by 36%. When it came to cancer and premature deaths in general, the researchers found no difference. Scientists believe that walkers cover shorter distances than cyclists. The average British worker walks 10 kilometers per week to get to work, while a British cyclist travels almost 50 kilometers per week. Additionally, cycling is more intensive than walking. Finally, the cyclists who participated in the study were fitter than the walkers, which may also explain the difference between the two groups.
Although this study cannot prove a cause and effect link between cycling and better health, it still argues in favor of improving cycling facilities, according to the researchers.
Sources :
https://www.bmj.com
https://www.gla.ac.uk
Last updated: March 2024
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