For this blog we have Jenna McVicar, a PhD student in the Institute for Physical Activity and Nutrition at Deakin University in Melbourne. Jenna is researching the impact e-cycling has on physical activity and health! So if we are feeling well-charged, let’s start pedaling….
Key Question: Electric bikes; increasing your activity or taking you for a cycle?
There has been an increase in the use of electric bikes (e-bikes) worldwide. Some older individuals feel that e-bikes can help them to stay active as their strength declines with age, some people use them for trips to work or the shops, and they are also used by workers for deliveries. However it could be argued that e-bikes are similar to motorbikes or scooters… so do they have health benefits?
Well…before we look at the studies, there are different styles of e-bikes and the type I am interested in are called pedelecs. Pedelecs are e-bikes that can provide support, which means that you, the rider, must pedal, but assistance can be provided. This makes e-bikes ideal for people who need support getting over that physical (and sometimes metaphorical) hill!! They can support a long or hilly cycle or people worried about how far they could cycle (taking away worries and concerns).
Are they as beneficial for you as regular cycling?
One study looked at the effect e-cycling on fitness levels. This is important because if someone is physically active with a good level of fitness, they have a lower risk of developing metabolic disease. This study (click here) found that after 4-weeks of using e-bikes for commuting, people had increased their fitness levels (the participants were cycling on average ~20km/day).
Another study measured the effect e-cycling could have on blood sugar levels and found that when inactive people started e-cycling, their blood sugar levels were better controlled. The participants in this study e-cycled for 40 minutes, 3 times a week, for 4-weeks. This suggests that by increasing activity levels, such as using an e-bike to go to the shops (instead of the car), you can improve some important aspects of health. This could be because you are reducing the time you spend sitting, by substituting driving for e-biking. You can read more about the dangers of prolonged sitting time in a previous blog post by clicking here.
Physical activity is important for health and all adults are advised by the World Health Organisation to be physically active at a moderate intensity for at least 150 minutes per week. E-cycling can help you meet these recommendations and have a positive impact on your health and well-being as discussed in a recent review (click here).
My research will try to understand in what ways I can help support people with metabolic syndrome to incorporate e-cycling into their day-to-day life. For people with metabolic syndrome, being physically active is difficult and can result in a lack of motivation. The metabolic syndrome is a collection of many undesirable risk factors, which include obesity, low fitness level and high blood pressure. I’m interested in finding out the effects electric bikes have on physical activity and these markers of health in people with the metabolic syndrome. By working with this group, I can find out what their barriers to activity are and work with them to overcome them.
The take-home message: e-bikes can help to keep people active, engage people who wouldn’t consider themselves cyclists and increase feelings of happiness when cycling. This makes e-bikes one ideal starting place for people who want to increase their activity.
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