Commuters who cycle 'weigh 5kg less than those who drive to work'

Healthier: Cyclists weigh less than those who drive to work
Matthew Chattle/REX/Shutterstock
Laura Proto17 March 2016

Commuters who cycle to work weigh 5kg less than those who drive, new research has found.

A study of more than 150,000 British workers between 40 and 69 years old found that those who cycle to work have less body fat and a lowed body mass index (BMI) than those who jump in their cars.

People who walk and take public transport also have lower levels of body fat but the greatest gains were seen in cyclists.

An average 53-year-old man who cycle to work was likely to see a 5kg difference in weight with someone the same age and gender who drives. In women, the difference was 4.4kg.

The study, which appears in The Lancet Diabetes and Endocrinology journal, found that cyclists BMIs were 1.71kg/m2 in men and 1.65kg/m2 in women.

Cycling and walking also reduced the body fat of men and women, by 2.75 per cent and 3.26 per cent respectively.

Lead scientist Dr Ellen Flint, from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, said: "We found that, compared with commuting by car, public transport, walking and cycling or a mix of all three are associated with reductions in body mass and body fat percentage, even when accounting for demographic and socio-economic factors.

“Many people live too far from their workplace for walking or cycling to be feasible, but even the incidental physical activity involved in public transport can have an important effect.”

Of the 23.7 million regular commuters in England and Wales, it is estimated 67 per cent travel to work by car, with more men than women opting to use their vehicles.

Just four per cent of men and two per cent of women cycled or combined cycling with walking.

Dr Flint added: “Physical inactivity is one of the leading causes of ill-health and premature mortality.

“In England, two-thirds of adults do not meet recommended levels of physical activity.

“Encouraging public transport and active commuting, especially for those in mid-life when obesity becomes an increasing problem, could be an important part of the global policy response to population-level obesity prevention.”

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