Researcher of a new study have found that people who walk or cycle to work are 40 percent less likely to suffer from diabetes and 17 percent less likely to develop high blood pressure.

Physicians have constantly emphasized on the health benefits of walking. Health experts suggest that taking the stairs instead of the elevator, walking to the nearest grocery store instead of taking a ride and jogging for at least 2kms a day are small ways to ensure a person stays fit.

In a new study, researchers looked to see the impact different physical activities have on the human body. For this, they studied data collected from a survey conducted on 20,000 people across U.K.

Researchers found that people who walked, cycled or took public transport to work were more fit than people that drove or took a taxi. The findings revealed that people who walked to work were 40 percent less likely to suffer from diabetes and 17 percent less likely to develop high blood pressure compared to people who drove to work. People who cycled to work were 50 percent less likely to suffer from diabetes.

High blood pressure, diabetes and obesity account for a large number of deaths in both the U.K and the U.S. 

Researchers suggested that diseases as serious as a heart attack can be avoided by indulging in minimum physical activities daily like walking instead of driving to work.

"This study highlights that building physical activity into the daily routine by walking, cycling or using public transport to get to work is good for personal health ," said Anthony Laverty from the School of Public Health at Imperial College London in a press statement.

According to statistics, 19 percent of people who drive to work are obese compared to 15 percent who walk to work and 13 percent who cycle. Researchers of the study found that the use of public transport varied throughout the country with 59 percent of London's population using public transport compared to only 5 percent in Northern Ireland.

"The variations between regions suggest that infrastructure and investment in public transport, walking and cycling can play a large role in encouraging healthy lives, and that encouraging people out of the car can be good for them as well as the environment," concluded Laverty.