Avoiding the car for travel could significantly lower risk of illness and death

[Guest Nicole]

People who are more active when commuting to work by walking or cycling could be cutting their relative risk of developing ischaemic heart disease or stroke by 11% and their relative risk of dying from these diseases by 30%, suggests a study published in the journal Heart.

Physical activity, including less vigorous forms such as walking and cycling, reduces

the risk of cardiovascular disease, but despite this well-known benefit, levels of activity are still low in many countries.

There are concerns that many peoples' lives involve increasingly sedentary occupations and little opportunity for leisure time physical activity. Thus, activity as part of a journey - such as the commute or for transport in general - can offer a comparatively easy way to integrate exercise into daily life.

https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-05/b-atc051718.php