Cycling to work cuts your risk of dying by a fifth – even with the chance of being knocked of your bike!
- Cycling cuts risk of heart disease by 21 per cent and cancer by 11 per cent
- But cycling commuters were 45 per cent more likely to receive significant injury
- Glasgow University researchers studied 230,000 commuters over 10 years
- Dr Paul Welsh said results were ‘encouraging’ and ‘benefits offset the risks’
Cycling to work cuts your chances of dying early – despite the risk of being hit by a car.
Researchers at Glasgow University who studied 230,000 commuters over ten years found that, although cycling increased the chances of a significant injury by 45 per cent, it cut the risk of developing heart disease by 21 per cent and cancer by 11 per cent.
The team, after an average follow-up period of almost nine years, found that 2.5 per cent cycled to work, but that 4.4 per cent of all study participants had at least one hospital admission for an injury – or had died as a result.
Injuries were experienced by 7 per cent of those who cycled, compared to 4.3 per cent of people who used a ‘non-active’ mode of transport.
‘Compared with non-active commuting to work, commuting by cycling was associated with a higher risk of hospital admission for a first injury and higher risk of transport related incidents specifically,’ the authors wrote.
‘These risks should be viewed in context of the health benefits of active commuting and underscore the need for a safer infrastructure for cycling in the UK.’
Cycling to work cuts your chances of dying early, despite the risk of being hit by a car (stock)
Senior author of the study Dr Paul Welsh said: ‘We know there is a perception that cycling in commuter traffic is dangerous, and that this perception may be putting people off actively commuting by bike to work.
‘Now, as a result of this research, we can to some extent quantify the risk associated with this form of commuting.
‘If 1,000 people incorporate cycling into their commute for 10 years we would expect 26 more injuries, but 15 fewer cancers, four fewer heart disease events, and three fewer deaths.
‘So, the benefits offset the risks, and this should be encouraging, but more needs to done to make commuter cycling safe.’
The researchers also called for measures to protect cycling commuters, such as segregated lanes, speed reductions, and traffic calming.
In a linked editorial, Anne Lusk, research scientist from the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health, said that the study showed ‘an urgent need to improve safety for cyclists’.
‘Modern cities need safe bicycle facilities to mitigate climate change by reducing carbon emissions,’ she wrote.
Commenting on the study, Nick Chamberlin, policy manager at British Cycling, said: ‘Whether it’s physical health, mental health or the quality of our air, we know that getting more people out of their cars and cycling to work can play a crucial role in tackling some of the biggest crises our country faces.’