Active Commuting Could Reduce CVD, Cancer, and All-Cause Mortality
Active commuting, such as biking or walking to work, is associated with reduced cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk. Biking, in particular, is also associated with reduced risk of cancer and all-cause mortality, according to the results of a recent study.
In order to examine the relationship between different forms of active commuting and incidence CVD, cancer, and all-cause mortality, researchers conducted a prospective population based study of 263,450 participants from the UK Biobank database. The participants were grouped by their mode of transportation to and from work each day, including walking, cycling, mixed mode, and inactive commuting.
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Overall, 2430 participants died over a median of 5 years of follow-up, and there were 3748 cancer and 1110 CVD events. Commuting by cycling and mixed mode including cycling was associated with lower risk of all-cause mortality, cancer incidence, and cancer mortality. Commuting by cycling and walking were associated with lower risk of CVD and CVD mortality. No significant associations were observed for walking commuting and all-cause mortality or cancer outcomes.
“These results are relevant, because active commuting on a daily basis is an important contributor to total physical activity,” the researchers concluded. “Encouraging active commuting, particularly by cycling, may be a viable approach to deliver health benefits related to physical activity at the population level.”
—Michael Potts
Reference:
Celis-Morales CA, Lyall Dm, Welsh P, et al. Association between active commuting and incident cardiovascular disease, cancer, and mortality: prospective cohort study [published online April 19, 2017]. BMJ. doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.j1456.