Study: The road to health starts by walking, biking to work

People who walk or bike to work are less likely to have diabetes, high blood pressure or a heart attack than those who drive to work, British researchers say. Anthony Laverty of the School of Public Health at Imperial College London and colleagues at the University College London examined how people got to work, using data from a survey of 20,000 people across Britain and compared it with health data. The study, published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, found people who walked to work were 17 percent less likely than people who drove to have high blood pressure, cyclists were around half as likely to have diabetes as drivers and 40 percent who walked were less likely to have diabetes as drivers. The study also found that those who cycled, walked or used public transport were all associated with lower risk of being overweight than those who drove or took a taxi. The researchers said people could reduce their risk of serious health problems such as heart attacks by avoiding using a car. "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," Laverty said in a statement