New research that sheds light on weight loss has emerged from the England’s University of East Anglia and the Centre for Diet and Activity Research. This study, led by researcher Adam Martin from the University of East Anglia’s Norwich Medical School, shows that one can reduce their body mass index (BMI) over two years by simply changing up their mode of transportation to work. The team hoped that making the switch will help reduce obesity rates. If your goal is to lose weight, your efforts may be successful by simply walking, cycling or using public transportation to get to work every morning instead of driving. Not only that, the research team also found that walking or cycling to work even improves well-being and mental health.
In the last 40 years, the proportion of people in Wales that commute to work by car has spiked climbing from 42% to 67%. Martin, lead researcher of the study, said that it has been well established that being overweight or suffering from obesity is associated with a wide range of diseases. Most notable of those diseases are type-2 diabetes, cancer, heart disease and stroke. He states that this study highlights the possibility to contribute to decreasing the average weight of the population by helping commuters switching up their commuting habits. People should build regular physical activity as part of their daily routines by walking, cycling or using public transportation on their way to work every day.
Over 4000 adults’ responses in three annual waves of the British Household Panel Survey were collected between the years 2004 and 2007. The data from these responses are what the research team of this study used to base their findings. Martin states that they found that by switching from driving to walk, cycling or using public transport, this resulted in an average reduction of 0.32 BMI, the equivalent of 1 kilogram or 2.2 pounds for the average person. This may sound like a small number, but it was also found that longer commutes had stronger associations. For example, those who commuted more than 30 minutes a day, had an increased average of 2.25 BMI units, the equivalent of 7 kilograms or 15.4 pounds added weight. Moreover, the team discovered that switching to using a car to get to work was actually linked to a 0.34 BMI unit increase in weight. Therefore, by using other modes of transportation to get to work instead of driving your car, you could not only prevent weight gain, but also promote weight loss.