The health benefits of jogging and cycling in urban areas outweigh the risks of air pollution, researchers said yesterday.
Even in the most polluted areas of a city, it may be healthier to be active outside than sitting indoors, according to Danish researchers.
The findings come from a major study of more than 50,000 people in two Danish cities, Aarhus and Copenhagen, who took part in research on their lifestyles in the 1990s.
By 2010, some 5,500 people had died and the latest study links death rates to pollution and activity levels.
The study found 20% fewer deaths among those who lived active lives than those who did not – even when they lived in heavily polluted neighbourhoods.
The findings have been published in Environmental Health Perspectives.
Researcher Professor Zorana Jovanovic Andersen, from Copenhagen University, said: "Air pollution is often perceived as a barrier to exercise in urban areas. In the face of an increasing health burden due to rising physical inactivity and obesity in modern societies, our findings provide support for efforts in promoting exercise, even in urban areas with high pollution.
"However, we would still advise people to exercise and cycle in green areas, parks, woods, with low air pollution and away from busy roads, when possible."
Environmental Health Perspectives 30 March 2015
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