People who want to significantly reduce their risk of diabetes should consider walking to work.

UK scientists have discovered that those who walk to work rather than drive are 40% less likely to have the condition.

They studied the health data relating to some 20,000 people and found that those who walked, cycled or even used public transport were less likely to be overweight than those who drove or took taxis.

Those who walked were 40% less likely to have diabetes and 17% less likely to have high blood pressure than those who drove to work.

Meanwhile people who cycled to work were half as likely to have diabetes as people who drove.

As diabetes, being overweight and high blood pressure are all major risk factors for heart disease, the scientists said that opting to leave the car at home could have major benefits for commuters' health.

"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," they said.

The scientists from Imperial College London and University College London found that 19% of working adults who used private transport to go to work, such as cars and taxis, were obese, compared to 15% of workers who walked and 13% who cycled.

Methods of getting to work differed depending on the region. For example, in Northern Ireland, just 5% of workers used public transport compared to over half of commuters in London.

"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," the scientists said.

Details of these findings are published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.