Adults who bike regularly, whether for fun or for transportation, may have a lower risk of cardiovascular disease than people who don't spend much time cycling, two recent studies suggest.
While plenty of previous research has documented the health benefits of biking as part of a regular workout routine, the current studies offer fresh evidence that cycling for commutes or leisure may also be good for the heart.
"Many people think that being physically active means doing regular structured exercise, which can be a huge barrier to an active lifestyle," said Anders Grontved, senior author of one of the studies.
"Our study shows that biking either for recreation or as a way to commute is also great for heart health," Grontved, a researcher at the University of Southern Denmark in Odense, said by email.
For this study, Grontved and colleagues analyzed data on more than 45,000 Danish adults who biked regularly for commuting or recreation. Over 20 years of follow up, bikers had 11 percent to 18 percent fewer heart attacks than people who didn't do any cycling, researchers report in the journal Circulation.
Overall, participants had 2,892 heart attacks during the study. Researchers estimate that more than 7 percent of all heart attacks could have been averted by taking up cycling and keeping it up on a regular basis.
Among adults who didn't bike at the start of the study, those who took up cycling within the first five years had about a 25 percent lower risk of developing heart disease than the people who remained non-bikers.
This study is observational, and can't prove that commuting by bike or cycling for fun actually prevents heart attacks, the authors note.
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