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May 8th, 2012 
FAKE NEWS for the Zionist agenda 
Justin Sullivan / Getty Images
Clogged commutes like this crawl on Interstate 880 in Oakland, Calif., are not only annoying, they also harm drivers’ health, according to a new study.
By Bill Briggs
Sure, speed kills. But new science suggests your sluggish slog from home to work (and back again) is slowly sucking the life out of you — exit by excruciating exit.
Commuters who log 16 or more miles each way on their daily haul to the job tend to pack plumper paunches and post higher blood pressure when compared to those with shorter excursions, according to the first research exploring the intersection of travel distances and health impacts.
Clogged roads seem to clog arteries, in part, by eating into potential gym minutes. Among folks who drive 16-plus miles to earn a paycheck, the prevalence of obesity is almost 9 percent higher while the rate of fitness is nearly 9 percent lower versus those who journey six to 10 miles, according to a study published today in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine. (Those numbers are not adjusted for age or gender).
“Part of it is that people with longer commutes aren’t exercising as much. But there could be other factors like they’re eating (fast food) while driving or they’re getting less sleep because they don’t have as much discretionary time,” said Christine M. Hoehner, the study’s lead investigator and an assistant professor in the department of surgery at Washington University in St. Louis, Mo.
By mapping the daily drives and dissecting the health scores of 4,297 residents from two Texas metro areas, Dallas and Austin, Hoehner and her colleagues distilled the mile-by-mile health hazards linked to sitting behind the wheel.
Take, for example, Body Mass Index — a calculation of stored fat based on height and weight. (A BMI between 18.5 and 24.9 is considered normal). For every 10-mile increase in your driving distance, your BMI rises by .17 units, Hoehner said. So if you’re already on the cusp of an unhealthy BMI — say at 24.5 — adding 15 miles to your foray — each way — will nudge you into the danger zone.
The daily drive has taken a toll on Sharon Binford, part of the marketing and development team at an online office supply retailer. She has a roughly 30-mile commute to and from her home in White Plains, N.Y., and her office in Manhattan, spanning 1 hour and 20 minutes each way.
“I am more tired, so I think my mood and activity level have been affected” by the daily trek, said Binford, 25. Before she got her current job, she didn’t drive to work.
“Before, I would have avocados and tomato, or strawberry and yogurt, or eggs-and-bacon breakfasts. Now, I eat cereal in the mornings — Special K Red Berries, but it’s still all carbs instead of almost none,” Binford said. “I used to spend about an hour running three times a week. Now, I try to occasionally squeeze in a half-hour run during my hour lunch break.”
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Americans are, indeed, spending slightly more time collectively navigating to and from their jobs. In 2010, 8 percent of U.S. workers had one-way commutes of one hour or more — up from 7.8 percent in 2009, said Brian McKenzie, a commuting analyst at the U.S. Census Bureau.
But the true traffic terrors are, of course, found on the local levels, especially in cities where far-flung suburbs offer more affordable housing. According to INRIX, a traffic information provider that ranks the worst municipal commutes, the most congested cities in 2010 were, in order, Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, Washington, D.C. then Dallas/Fort Worth — where Hoehner conducted much of her study.
And, hardly shocking to any fuming driver who routinely winces at an agonizing line of brake lights, Hoehner found that longer commutes are more likely to fuel stress levels.
“It’s about the chronic stress: daily exposure to traffic, the hassles of not being able to predict when you’ll arrive, and having no control over your time because of that traffic,” Hoehner said.
About one-third of the commuters Hoehner analyzed notched 16 or more miles getting to work. The prevalence of elevated blood pressure in that group was about 52 percent. Meanwhile, slightly more than half the drivers studied needed 10 miles or less to reach their jobsite or office. The rate of high blood pressure in that portion: about 45 percent.
So, honk if you hate the guy driving one car ahead — and the other 500 beyond. They’re killing you.
Related stories:
Working moms are happier, study finds
Working moms multitask way more than dads
Daily serving of red meat raises risk of heart disease
A Siberian husky named Shiro and her owner have a bonding ritual of hand-and-paw holding during their daily commute; in fact, Shiro whimpers when she’s not holding his hand. TODAY’s Natalie Morales takes a look at the adorable video.
Results with 52 short comments
The winter is the worst. Eats up time and longer miles mean more possibilities for accidents.
It wastes time which could be done doing other things and takes a toll mentally and physically.
What a load of crap. I used to commute 70 miles each way and I was skinny as a rail.
How come us Americans must always do things the stupid way?
If there’s no stop-n-go, a long commute is relaxing, with satellite radio. So really you have to factor in traffic.
55 Miles one way 6 days a week takes its toll. All I do is sleep, eat and go to work.
I used to commute 100 miles round trip.When stalled on I-5 in nice weather, I opened the window and blew bubbles from a jar. Got lots of ;-
I really get tired of the long drive, but there really is not much I can do about it. Living in the city feels really stressful.
Being in my car is the only time I am alone so I cherish the drive to and from work!
If your commute is bothering you then you’re doing it wrong!
I liked the “me time” and the XM radio, but I will take a short commute any day to have more time at home and not behind the slowpokes.
I’m retired but the slowpokes still incite profanity.
I’m looking forward to school closeings and road work completion so I can get back to driving 55!
70 miles a day to reflect and relax. Depends on traffic. Prior job was 14 miles with tons of traffic. Same commute time, but very stressful
I take public transit for a 59 mile one-way commute. Read, sleep, visit–it’s all a win-win for me!
My commute is about 50 miles one way — about an hour or so, but I drive through rural PA with no traffic. It’s actually relaxing to me.
Is it really about distance or time on the road? Some places 16mi is only 16min at others, 160min.
What Is This ? A Stay At Home Green Article? Maybe we can all get Bicycles OR Walk to Work — YEAH! In Another Life!
i ride my bicycle 6 miles a day to work and home. it’s stress reducing and feels great. takes me 15-20 minutes. i do it in rain snow heat
My commute is 10 minutes in, 15 minutes home (most days). I prefer it that way.
I commute 24 miles each way. The Washington DC Beltway is pure torture some days! Used to be 8 mi but moved out further for cheaper home.
My commute is 35 miles one way. Only thing saving me is I drive in off hrs. 5am going 6pm coming home, so no bumper to bumper.
Not anymore! I used to commute 100 miles each day. The last 14 year it’s 4 miles to work. I would never comute again-it almost killed me!!
For all the excuses for obesity, driving to and from work shouldn’t be one of them, with the possible exception of long-haul truckers.
My 38 mile (commute ends at the gym every workday morning. I feel great. Yes, I start out early, before traffic is bad, but I’ve adjusted
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