Riding an e-bike increases BMI

Granted, increasing my BMI sounds better than I am gaining weight.

Transport mode choice and body mass index: Cross-sectional and longitudinal evidence from a European-wide study

ABSTRACT

Background: In the fight against rising overweight and obesity levels, and unhealthy urban environments, the renaissance of active mobility (cycling and walking as a transport mode) is encouraging. Transport mode has been shown to be associated to body mass index (BMI), yet there is limited longitudinal evidence demonstrating causality. We aimed to associate transport mode and BMI cross-sectionally, but also prospectively in the first ever European-wide longitudinal study on transport and health.

The results suggest a graded relation in terms of BMI: bike < walk < public transport < motorcycle or moped < ebike < car. Self-reported physical activity from transport (walking, cycling, e-biking) was not found to be a mediator in the association between transport mode usage and BMI.

Riding an e-bike increases BMI

For an average individual in the sample (height: 1.72 m) an additional day of car driving per week translates into a weight difference of 0.32 kg. Significant associations were found for car (increases BMI), bike (decreases BMI), and motorcycle (increases BMI), and a near-significant association (0.05 < p < 0.10) was found for e-bike (increases BMI).