Walking is the best exercise in polluted cities

Research carried out by University of Cambridge has found that walking or cycling is good for everyone, even if one is living in polluted cities. In their opinion, the health benefit of physical activity far outweighs the harm caused to the body because of by chemicals and dust that is continuously puffed out by traffic and industry.
This has been reported in dailymail.co.uk dated 6 May 2016.

Air pollution is a major problem in British cities, and this is a major factor that results in 40,000 early deaths in Britain every year. Moreover, only a handful of cities (one percent!) are so polluted that the risks start to overcome the benefits of physical activity within half an hour of cycling. As the study leader has indicated - in London health benefits of active travel always outweigh the risk from pollution.
Even in a city like Delhi which is believed to be one of the most polluted cities in the world – with pollution levels ten times those in London – people would need to cycle over five hours per week to enjoy the health benefits.
A general conception is that those who exercise in polluted areas put themselves at increased risk since they take deeper breaths, thus inhaling more of the toxic pollution and particles that do such damage. But, a new study suggests that the act of exercising outweighs this risk - physical activity reduces the risk of diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, and several cancers.
The bottom line is - invest in infrastructure to get people out of their cars and onto their feet or their bikes – such a double pronged attack would reduce pollution levels and simultaneously, support physical activity.


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org

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