The relationship between health and active travel
The KiM Netherlands Institute for Transport Policy Analysis studied how cycling and walking influence health and vice versa. The results show that people who walk more lose weight. Conversely, if people walk less, they gain weight. People who cycle more feel healthier. This is not the case for people who walk more.
Obesity
Among obese people (BMI higher than 30 kg/m2), more cycling or walking does not appear to contribute to a change in weight. Other factors, such as sport or nutrition, may play a role in this, KiM concludes in its study 'The relationship between health and active travel'.
Based on this study, KiM published an open access paper in the journal of Transport & Health.