Do you travel to and from work by car? New research from the Royal Society For Public Health (RSPH) have conducted research which has shown that commuting is associated with higher blood pressure, stress and an increased BMI (body mass index).

The study took part of a poll of 1,500 employees and they then studied the habits of commuters who commuted via rail and bus. The study also took into account the day to day routine and habits of the 1,500 workers to assess t their exercise, sleeping and cooking routines.

May polled admitted that they found that the daily rat race made them want to eat more, this was either due to boredom or the stresses of the actual journey such as getting stuck in traffic. The most popular items eaten behind the wheel included chocolate bars, muffins and fizzy drinks.  Due to these factors it worked out that the average commuter saw their calorie count increase by a whopping 767, however for many the figure could well be higher.

Research in the UK has shown that the average commute is approximately 55 minutes but a whopping three million workers have to travel 2 hours or more. The RSPH have stated that to combat this worrying growth, businesses should be promoting flexible working hours to circumvent the busy traffic period and increase the availability of flexible working arrangements. Two fifths of those surveyed responded that these arrangements would help to improve their wellbeing.

As long as we don’t start seeing car insurers start to increase premiums for eating extra behind the wheel.