Studies show that biking to work may prove more beneficial to health compared to walking. This claim is backed by University of Glasgow researchers. They published their findings in the British Medical Journal outlining how biking helped improve health.
Brief Findings of Cycling and Its Health Benefits
Over a five-year study, over 260,000 UK citizens were asked about their commute to work. The average age group for the study was 53. Research compared the methods of commuting to the rates of cancers, heart attacks, and death. While walking to work proved to be beneficial, the benefits of cycling outweighed the benefits of walking.
Biking reduced not only heart attack and mortality rates but also cancer ones as well. Dr. Jason Gill from the Institute of Cardiovascular and Medical Sciences said,
“Cycling all or part of the way to work was associated with substantially lower risk of adverse health outcomes.”
Walking reduced heart attack rates by 27% and decreased mortality by 31%. Meanwhile, biking reduced heart attack rates by 46% and had diminished the risk of cancer by 45%. Overall, cycling reduced mortality by 40%. The reason walkers don’t get as many health benefits is due to a shorter distance of travel.
People usually walk around 6 miles compared to the average of 3o miles per week by bicycle. They would need to walk more in order to gain the benefits of biking. The added benefit of cycling is from the vigorous workout for the whole body. That is compared to walking as a relaxed form of exercise.
The criticisms the findings faced was due to the people assessing themselves. This meant that some people might not report everything, leaving room for error. Another criticism is that research was also was not inclusive to diets, lifestyle habits or health history depending on the individual.
Despite criticisms, studies show cycling does help overall health. With these findings, cities are working on ways to implement more roads to accommodate bikers. Having more roads open for bikers will allow them to travel easily and safely. Overall, biking improves health and is a great workout for any person.
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