Some protection against heart disease was achieved with as little as 30 minutes of cycling per week.

24 percent of obese cases prevented

The second study from the Journal of the American Heart Association, examined men and women from Sweden for over a 10-year period.  It sought a relationship between a change in commuter cycling and various cardiovascular diseases. More than 20,000 individuals in their 40s, 50s and 60s were assessed. The findings presented:

• At the study onset, active cycling commuters were found to be 15% less likely to be obese, 13 percent less likely to have high blood pressure, 15% less likely to have high cholesterol, and 12 percent less likely to have (pre-)diabetes.
• After 10 years, people who started cycling to work or continued their good habit had 39 percent decreased risk of obesity, 11 percent lower risk of high blood pressure, 20 percent reduced risk of high cholesterol and a decline in diabetes risk by 18 percent.
• The switch from passive to active commuting may have prevented 24 percent of obese cases, 6 percent of hypertension diagnoses, 13 percent of high cholesterol diagnoses, and 11 percent of the diabetes cases.
• No minimum amount of time or distance was required to reduce risk of cardiovascular risk factors.

Make it a part of your life!

Sound like it’s never too late to benefit from an active lifestyle, right? So if you are looking to start taking up a physical activity in an easy and informal fashion, look no further. Whether it is for pleasure or as a way to commute; today is a good day to make cycling a part of your everyday life.