An hour's worth of bike riding can extend a person's life expectancy for at least six months, according to a study done by researchers at the University of Utrecht in Netherlands.
The researchers based their findings by studying the choice of transportation of at least 50,000 Dutch residents with the help of a computational tool from the World Health Organization, according to Dutch News.
"We were able to calculate that on average, for every hour of cycling, people live about an hour longer," said Carlijn Kamphuis, a member of the research team. "For Dutch people, this equates to living for about six months longer for every 75 minutes of cycling each week."
The researchers also found out that biking prevents 11,000 premature deaths in the country yearly, and thus suggested that policy makers from around the world should give importance to cycling by promoting it for public health.
"The figures speak for themselves. An investment in better cycle paths, for example, is easily recovered through the enormous health benefits and potential financial savings. There are also other benefits from cycling including improved air quality, reduced traffic and as people move more, less burden due to illness," the researchers added, according to RoadCC.
Cycling has been popular in the Netherlands for many years and the country is even recognized for its world-class bicycle infrastructure, according to Roads Were Not Built for Cars. The findings presented by the researchers could serve as a good resource and benchmark for other countries who may want to push bike riding as a better alternative mode of transportation.
The study was published in the American Journal of Public Health.
