People who walk to work are 40 percent less likely to have diabetes than counterparts who drive, according to a new study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.
“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 ,” said Anthony Laverty, from the School of Public Health at Imperial College London in a press release.
Researchers at Imperial College London and University College London analyzed data from a survey of 20,000 people in the UK on how they got to work.
They found that cycling, walking, and using public transport were all linked with a lower risk of being overweight than driving or taking a taxi.
People who walk to work were also 17 percent less likely than their driving counterparts to have high blood pressure. And cyclists were nearly half as likely to have diabetes as drivers.
Researchers also discovered 19 percent of working adults who use cars, motorbikes or taxis to get to work were obese, compared to 15 percent of those who walked and 13 percent of those who biked to work.
People can reduce their risks of serious health problems such as heart attacks by avoiding using a car, noted researchers.
American Diabetes Association Facts:
• 25.8 million children and adults or 8.3 percent of the population in the U.S. have diabetes.
• 18.8 million people are diagnosed.
• 7 million people are undiagnosed.
• 79 million people have pre-diabetes
• 1.9 million new cases of diabetes were diagnosed in people aged 20 years and older in 2010.
Under 20 years of age
• 215,000, or 0.26% of all people in this age group have diabetes
• About 1 in every 400 children and adolescents has diabetes
Age 20 years or older
• 25.6 million, or 11.3% of all people in this age group have diabetes
Age 65 years or older
• 10.9 million, or 26.9% of all people in this age group have diabetes
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