Does Cycling Reduce Alzheimer’s Risk? – CleanTechnica

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“Bikes are the most energy-efficient transportation,” someone told me once many years ago. Now there is an enormous shift happening in transportation moving away from fossil fuel use to electrification because fossil fuels cause a great deal of damage to the planet and human health.

Electric vehicles in the US at least have become overly politicized, and therefore the many benefits electric vehicles have may be overlooked by some portion of Americans. Anyone who follows electric vehicles knows there is far too much misinformation and disinformation online about electric vehicles.

There are forms of transportation that are not mechanized in the sense of having a motor for propulsion. Bicycling has many health benefits because riding bikes is physical exercise which is great for human well being. Lately, when researching for articles, I have been returning to information published by Harvard University. (The President has tried to freeze funding to this university, perhaps because it is a major research institution and it may sometimes publish information he does not like, though the freeze was framed in some language about antisemitism.)

What did Harvard Health Publishing write about exercise? “Exercising regularly — every day if possible — is the single most important thing you can do for your health. In the short term, exercise helps to control appetite, boost mood, and improve sleep. In the long term, it reduces the risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes, dementia, depression, and many cancers.”

Human mental health may also benefit from cycling as described recently by some new research. “Previous studies have reported the health benefits of cycling, including a decrease in an individual’s risk of developing specific illnesses. Now, a recent study has revealed that persons who use bicycles as their primary form of transportation may be at a lower risk of developing dementia. Cycling was associated with a 19% reduction in dementia and a 22% reduction in Alzheimer’s risk.”

The mechanism, as reported, may be from the active exercise while navigating, and balancing. “Upon examining brain scans, researchers discovered that cycling and cycling in conjunction with other modes of transportation were associated with minor increases in gray matter volume (GMV) in specific brain regions, such as the hippocampus, which is critical for memory.”

There were no brain anatomy effects documented by the research for driving, or non-active travel. Imagine for a moment, if there wasn’t any gasoline, diesel, or coal. What if all transportation ran on electricity and was powered by solar power, wind power, geothermal, hydroelectric power and wave power? What if all cities had electric light rail and electric buses, and were mostly car-free?

The young woman in this video, who lives in Copenhagen, says she has been biking in her city since she was 6 years old. Perhaps both her dementia and Alzheimer’s risk will be diminished if she continues riding her bike.