Massive study shows clear and large connection between bicycling & better health; call to action to make our communities better for bicycling | British Medical Journal

Headlines are quick hits from media outlets from Missouri and around the world. Follow the headline link for the full story. The source of this headline says:

A link between cycling and health benefits has been clear for some years—my colleagues and I first reported in 2000 that all cause mortality was 30% lower in cyclists compared with non-cyclists after multivariate adjustment. Since then, many studies have consistently reported lower rates of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, cancers, and mortality6 associated with cycling compared with not cycling. Other studies have shown that walking is also associated with health benefits, including a lower risk of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and all cause mortality.

In one of the largest studies of active commuting to date, Celis-Morales and colleagues analysed data from UK Biobank to investigate associations between active commuting by walking or cycling and cardiovascular disease (incidence and mortality) cancer (incidence and mortality) and all cause death.8 Among more than 250?000 adults in paid employment, they found that active commuting by bicycle was associated with a substantial and statistically significant decrease in the risk of all cause death . . ., death from cancer . . . , and death from cardiovascular disease . . . compared with passive commuting by car or public transport. . . .

The UK has neglected to build infrastructure to promote cycling for decades and the potential for improvements to increase cycling and the safety of cycling is huge. . . .

The findings from this study are a clear call for political action on active commuting, which has the potential to improve public health by preventing common (and costly) non-communicable diseases.

Link: 

Massive study shows clear and large connection between bicycling & better health; call to action to make our communities better for bicycling | British Medical Journal

MoBikeFed comment: The conclusions from this major study with a quarter million participants apply in spades to the U.S. and to Missouri as well. As the study points out, some major cities across the world have made major strides in creating a bicycle-friendly environment, with major positive impacts on the health of residents.

But many others are making very slow progress or none at all. Given the incredibly strong link between cycling and better health, the cost savings alone justify an order of magnitude greater investment in bicycle infrastructure across the U.S.

The cost savings in medical costs alone would justify this increased public investment--and so would the quality of life improvements of massively lower cancer and cardiovascular disease rates in the population.