Motivating fitness e-bikes promote health even in overweight and old age

E-bikes have the same fitness effects as conventional bikes

Good news for e-bike friends and those interested: The effectiveness of the e-bike in terms of health and fitness training is similar to that of the conventional bicycle according to a Swiss study. Especially for overweight, untrained and elderly people, the e-bike is a great way to get fitter.

Scientists at the University of Basel report that the e-bike is effective for promoting health and fitness. It is even comparable to normal bicycles. The researchers found in a study that training with the e-bike is by no means less effective than conventional cycling. The benefits for health and fitness are comparable. The results were recently published in the journal "Clinical Journal of Sport Medicine".

According to the results of a Swiss study, e-bike driving has similarly good effects on fitness and health as conventional cycling. The tendency is for driving with electric assistance to be even more motivating. (Image: studio4pic / fotolia.com)

Achieve success in four weeks

The Swiss research group of the Department of Sport, Exercise and Health at the University of Basel has found out in their study that the physical strain of using the e-bike has comparable health and fitness benefits as conventional cycling. In a relatively short period of four weeks, the scientists were able to document an improvement in the endurance performance of the subjects.

Obese people benefit from e-bike driving

Around 30 subjects in the study were classified as overweight and untrained. They had a body mass index between 28 and 29. In preliminary medical examinations, the participants' oxygen uptake capacity (VO2) was recorded. This value indicates how the body can absorb and utilize oxygen.

Six kilometers three times a week

All subjects had to cover a distance of at least six kilometers at least three days a week. Half of the participants went without electric aids, the other half on an e-bike. Specifications regarding speed and intensity of training were not given. Heart rate monitors and GPS devices were used as additional measuring instruments.

Riding e-bikes lowers the risk of dying from heart disease

After four weeks, the subjects were re-examined. The amazing result: measured by their VO2 score, both groups developed their fitness comparably well. According to the experts, maintaining this improvement is associated with a clinically relevant risk reduction of dying from heart disease. In addition, the researchers found that the subjects' hearts worked more economically in both groups.

Exercising motivated with e-bike

In addition to the improvements that counted for both groups of cyclists, the sports experts also found that the participants of the e-bike group on average were traveling at a higher speed and also completed more altitude. "This gives us an indication that the e-bike can increase motivation and help overweight and older people who otherwise would find it difficult to do so with regular fitness," reports study leader Arno Schmidt-Trucksäss, professor of sports medicine at the University of Basel in a press release on the study results.

Regular e-bike driving brings lasting health benefits

"Those who train regularly with the e-bike benefit permanently, not only in terms of fitness, but also on other factors such as blood pressure, fat metabolism and psyche," summarizes the sports professor. According to the research team, the study provides important information on the prevention potential of e-bikes. (Vb)