Support road.cc

Like this site? Help us to make it better.

Cycling to work 'halves risk of diabetes' compared to driving

Researchers say avoiding car travel is key to staying healthy

Cyclists have half the risk of developing diabetes as compared to those who drive to work, research has found.

A survey of 20,000 people across the UK was carried out in 2009 and 2011, and found that where people used more active ways of getting to work, including cycling and walking, there were clear health benefits.

People who use public transport also had healthier outcomes, and this was attributed to the fact that people who use it walk an average of 19 minutes as part of their journey.

The findings, by Imperial College London and University College London, are published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, and researchers say it's clear good advice to avoid using cars.

Cycling, walking, and using public transport were all associated with lower risk of being overweight than driving or taking a taxi. People who walk to work were also 17% less likely than people who drive to have high blood pressure. Cyclists were around half as likely to have diabetes as drivers.

According to Diabetes UK, around three million people in the UK have diabetes - about one in 20. Type 2, or later onset diabetes is connected with obesity and inactivity - and rates have soared over the last 10 years.

"This study highlights that building physical activity into the daily routine by walking, cycling or using public transport to get to work is good for personal health ," said Anthony Laverty, from the School of Public Health at Imperial College London.

"The variations between regions suggest that infrastructure and investment in public transport, walking and cycling can play a large role in encouraging healthy lives, and that encouraging people out of the car can be good for them as well as the environment."

There has already been convincing evidence for the health benefits of cycling to work; a meta-analysis of all studies prior to 2007 found that active travel to work is associated with an 11% reduction in cardiovascular risk.

We reported previously how researchers at the University of East Anglia identified 24 separate conditions, including dementia and cancer, that people could lessen the risk of contracting by undertaking regular exercise of as little as 30 minutes a day. 

According to one of the researchers, Leslie Alford, regular moderate exercise, defined as a bike ride or brisk walk 150 minutes a week, or 30 minutes a day, benefits men and women, irrespective of age, and can lower the onset of conditions such as a stroke or heart disease, plus others including type II diabetes, obesity, depression, high blood pressure and osteoporosis.

Mr Alford also says that increasing the amount of exercise, for example to an hour each day, provides further benefits, as does adhering to a healthy diet and avoiding being overweight.

Add new comment

5 comments

Avatar
Sustransoftie | 10 years ago
0 likes

When I was younger, I was the fittest, healthiest kid in the school.

I held the school record for many sporting events and was always active and doing lots of outdoor stuff from dusk 'til dawn.

In my teens I got type 1 diabetes. I still do lots of active stuff in my 40's but the headline to this article is misleading as jamiemfranklin has already stated in his post.

It's a BS headline at the top of this page and it's just common sense to eat less and don't sit on your arse all day.

Poor reporting.

Avatar
TeamCC | 10 years ago
0 likes

On the other side, cycling when diabetic is a good way to get in some exercise to help regulate blood sugar after a meal.

Avatar
Cycle_Jim | 10 years ago
0 likes

Raises blood pressure surely, Sure as hell can guarantee riding in rush hour will lead to me almost getting killed. (I solve it by leaving earlier for work and later after work) but still.

Avatar
jamiemfranklin | 10 years ago
0 likes

Why does the media insist on careless reporting of scientific findings?

The headline: "Cycling to work 'halves risk of diabetes' compared to driving" is inaccurate, as it implies causation rather than association.

The first line: "Cyclists have half the risk of developing diabetes as compared to those who drive to work, research has found." Is a more accurate expression of the findings, although you could be more precise. However, the following paragraph which states "there are clear health benefits", is again misleading.

The authors specifically state: "The main limitation of the current study is the use of cross-sectional data, which means reverse causality cannot be ruled out; that is, people who are less healthy may be less likely to use active travel."

It would seem reasonable to highlight key limitations if you are presenting the results of a scientific paper and not to, whether deliberately or not, confuse causation and association.

Careless reporting of scientific literature in the media is endemic and it would be great if road.cc did not continue this trend.

I have no doubt that regular exercise is beneficial to health. This paper is certainly supportive of that hypothesis.

Avatar
alsothings replied to jamiemfranklin | 10 years ago
0 likes

@jamiemfranklin: you are correct. See also: http://xkcd.com/552/

Latest Comments