STUDY: Walking to Work Will Save Your Life
Protects against diabetes and heart disease
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Walking to work may be the next super-drug. Compared to people who drive to the office, walkers and cyclists have a 40 percent lower chance of developing diabetes, according to a study in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.
After surveying 20,000 people in the UK about their commuting habits and health, the researchers also uncovered that people walk to work are 17 percent less likely than people who drive to have high blood pressure, a risk factor for heart disease. And while 19 percent of people who drive to work in the UK are obese, the numbers dropped to 13 percent among those who biked in.
“This study highlights that building physical activity into the daily routine by walking, cycling or using public transport to get to work is good for personal health,” Anthony Laverty, from the School of Public Health at Imperial College London, told Science Daily.