Melbourne:If you are spending more time driving than you need to think over it.It can make you 2.3kg heavier than someone who spends less than 15 minutes in a car and also add 1.5cm of extra fat around your waistline, putting you at the risk of an early death, researchers warn.
The study from the Australian Catholic University's Institute of Health and Ageing has found that time spent driving each day is associated with waist circumference, BMI,cardio-metabolic risk and fasting plasma glucose.
The research was done by analysing the health and driving habits of 2800 Australian adult, aged between 34 and 65 and adjusted for diet, alcohol consumption, socio-economic factors and physical activity.
The study suggested that 80 per cent of Australians travel to and from work in their car, the average commuting time each day is about an hour while about 20 per cent of us spend 90 minutes or more in their cars.
Lead author of the study, Professor Takemi Sugiyama, said that while research has shown time in front of the TV has a negative impact on health, "we didn't know much about sitting in transport".
"What we found is if you compare those who spend more than one hour per day driving with those who spend 15 minutes or less, the health outcomes are very different," Sugiyama added.
Previous studies has shown that those who travel by car are more likely to gain weight as compared to those who don't use car for commuting.
Those who are overweight are associated with increased risk of everything from cardiovascular diseases, such as heart attacks and stroke, to diabetes, says study.
In the latest study, commuters were told they can make a significant difference to their health simply by leaving the car at home and walking or cycling.
"Public transport use may not be necessarily sitting: this would be a major difference between car use and public transport," Sugiyama further added.
The findings can be found online published in the journal, Preventive Medicine.
