Cycling to work helps commuters avoid heart disease and cancer

People who cycle to work have a higher life expectancy and are less likely to develop serious illnesses such as heart disease and cancer, new research shows.

The study, the largest of its kind, included 82,000 people aged 16 to 74 who provided information on how they entered work for the Scottish census. They were followed between 2001 and 2018 to track hospital admissions, prescriptions for medicines or deaths.

The research was published in the medical journal BMJ Public Health and was led by academics from the University of Glasgow.

While there were significant health benefits overall, cyclists were also found to be twice as likely to end up in hospital following a traffic accident than people who commuted to work by car or train.

People who cycled to work were 47% less likely to die from any cause, 51% less likely to die from cancer, and 24% less likely to need treatment for heart disease.

Mental health also improved with regular cycling. Antidepressants were used significantly less often among cyclists than among commuters who had been inactive for a longer period of time.

There were 1,363 cyclists in the study, most of whom cycled less than three miles each way to work. But there were risks, among the health benefits: during the nearly two-decade follow-up period, about 83 of these cyclists were hospitalized after a traffic accident. The report’s authors said: “Our finding that commuters who cycle are twice as likely to be traffic casualties compared with non-active commuters underscores the need for safer cycling infrastructure.”

They added that their findings provided “direct evidence of the health benefits of active commuting”, supporting policy efforts to encourage people to cycle to work. The report concluded: “That commuting by cyclists and pedestrians is associated with a lower risk of prescription medication for poor mental health is an important finding.

“This study has broader global relevance for efforts to reduce carbon emissions and transition to more active and sustainable travel modes.”

According to government statistics, less than 5% of people cycle to work. About one in ten walks, 68% of people use the car, 9% take the train and 6% take the bus.

The Covid pandemic has led to increased cycling, but the amount of heavy cycling has decreased by a few percentage points, but is still at pre-2020 levels.