Cycling to work is associated with a higher risk of admission to hospital for an injury than other modes of commuting, suggests a new study.

But those who cycled to work had a significantly lower risk of cancer, cardiovascular disease and death compared with commuters who did not cycle.

Recent evidence shows that active modes of commuting are linked to potential health benefits such as improved fitness and lower body fat, and a lower risk of cardiovascular disease, cancer, type 2 diabetes, and death. But the number of people cycling to work in the UK and many other countries is low.

Many people are put off by the potential danger linked to cycling in traffic, but there is a lack of individual level data on cycling and injuries in the UK.

So a team of researchers set out to investigate the association between commuter cycling and risk of injury, compared with other modes of commuting. They analysed data from the UK Biobank study, which included 230,390 daily commuters from 22 sites across the UK, half (52%) of which were women, with an average age of 52.

The participants were recruited between 2006-2010 and monitored for an average of 8.9 years. During this time, of the 5,704 people who only cycled to work, 7% were injured. Among people who cycled for part of the commute, 6% were injured. In contrast, 4.3% of the commuters who travelled by car or public transport were injured.

Story Source: Materials provided by BMJ. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.