Big Benefits of Bicycling

Public health experts embrace the notion of increasing modes of “active travel” – namely, walking, bicycling, and public transport, to increase physical activity and reduce the growing burden of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) globally.  Indeed, commuting to and from work via bicycling is gaining popularity in streets around the world.  Researchers from Imperial College (United Kingdom) examined the modes and duration of travel to work in rural and urban India and associations between active travel and overweight, hypertension, and diabetes. Finding that: “Walking and bicycling to work was associated with reduced cardiovascular risk in the Indian population,” and encourage: “Efforts to increase active travel in urban areas and halt declines in rural areas should be integral to strategies to maintain healthy weight and prevent [noncommunicable diseases].”