Walking or cycling is good for you even in polluted cities, researchers have found.

 

研究人员发现，即使在有空气污染的城市，行走或骑车也是对健康有益的。

 

The health benefit of physical activity outweighs¹ the harm caused by chemicals and dust puffed² out by traffic and industry, according to Cambridge academics.

 

Air pollution is a major problem in British cities, and is estimated to contribute to 40,000 early deaths in Britain every year.

 

People who exercise in polluted areas are thought to put themselves at increased risk, because they take deeper breaths, inhaling³ more of the toxic⁴ pollution and particles that do such damage.

 

But a new study, published in the journal Preventive Medicine, suggests that the act of exercising outweighs this risk, because physical activity reduces the risk of diseases such as diabetes⁵, heart disease, and several cancers.

 

Experts at the Centre for Diet and Activity Research - a collaboration⁶ between the universities of Cambridge and East Anglia - used computer simulations to compare the risks and benefits of exercising in polluted areas around the world.

 

Only 1 per cent of cities are so polluted that the risks start to overcome the benefits of physical activity after half an hour of cycling.

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