Everybody who has sat on a bicycle at least once in their lives knows that cycling makes you feel good. But what are the actual figures behind this sense of wellbeing? This World Health Day, the European Cyclists’ Federation (ECF) takes an in-depth look at some of the health benefits of cycling.

The World Health Organization (WHO), which is celebrating its 74^th anniversary this World Health Day, strongly recommends weekly moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity for adults, stating that up to five million deaths per year could be averted if the global population was more active.

Cycling is an easy way to integrate physical activity in your daily life and reach the recommended weekly activity, no matter what your current fitness level is.

Cycling is great for daily exercise

With global obesity increasing, cycling can be an effective and time-efficient measure to lose weight. A study by the University of Copenhagen conducted in 2017, showed that losing fat mass through daily cycling to work is as effective as exercising in a fitness centre!

During the six months of the study, the group participants that took up cycling for daily commute were able to reduce their fat mass by 4.2 kg. The results were similar to the participants of the exercise group who reduced their fat mass by 4.5 kg through high-intensity leisure-time exercise. This should come as no surprise according to Havard Medical School, as a person weighing around 70 kg will burn almost 300 calories during a 30-minute bike ride at a speed of around 20 km/h.

Increasing daily activity through cycling also has positive effects on other incidences of major diseases plaguing modern society around the globe. Amongst many others, a large population-based study from the UK showed in 2017 that cycle commuting was associated with a lower risk of mortality caused by cardio-vascular diseases, including heart attacks, and cancer.

Cycling benefits mental health

Physical exercise, like cycling, is also associated with improved mental health. A 2018 cross-sectional study in the US analysed data from more than 1.2 million adults with matched physical and sociodemographic characteristics. The results have shown that active individuals had 1.49 (43.2%) fewer days when they suffered from poor mental health in the past month compared to individuals who did not exercise.

Physical activity exercises reduce the burden of mental health disorders by at least 11.8% and at most 22.3%. Cycling scored an astounding reduction of 21.6% mental health burden, amongst other physical activities.

Cumulative benefits of cycling

Researchers have ultimately concluded that policies designed to induce a modal shift towards more active modes of commuting, particularly cycling (eg more cycling infrastructure, bike-sharing schemes, subsidised cycle purchase schemes and increasing provision for cyclists in public transport) could present major opportunities for the improvement of public health.

In fact, ECF has summarised the cumulative benefits of cycling in our report, the “Benefits of cycling.” By our estimates, cycling levels are associated with longer and healthier lives in Europe, and lead to cumulated benefits of around € 73 billion per year. These estimations were made with the help of WHO’s Health Economic Assessment Tool for walking and cycling, which has recently been updated and is now applicable to countries all around the globe. 

Health benefits of cycling will be discussed during Velo-city 2022 Ljubljana.

Cover photo courtesy of ©BTeissedre - Agence Aisne Tourisme