Sedentary lifestyle accelerates health threats

Physical activity can be the gateway to better health according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which recommends that at least 150 minutes of vigorous-intense activity each week can help with health benefits. But new research about the inconsistency of daily exercise may surprise you.

Research from the University of Missouri School of Medicine discovered that reducing physical activity for even a few days can lead to decreased function of the inner lining of blood vessels in the legs of young healthy patients.

“The impairment we saw in just five days was quite striking,” said Paul Fadel, associate professor of medical pharmacology and physiology at University of Missouri. However, we found that skipping just five days of physical activity can damage the blood vessels in the legs that can take a prolonged period of time to repair.”

Study experts found that blood vessel function deteriorates when someone transitions from high daily physical activity –10,000 or more steps per day – to low daily physical activity, less than 5,000 steps per day.

Researchers hope their findings urge people to get moving to avoid threats to their health.

“We need to teach and explain to people about the physiology of their bodies and the physiology of the disease process and help them understand that inactivity plays a foundational role in the disease process,” said John Thyfault, associate professor of nutrition and exercise physiology at the University of Missouri School of Medicine, in a news release.

Thyfault said it’s not just about vanity when it comes to being a regular exerciser.

“These studies are proof we need to get people to understand their activity every day plays a role in their health and that their health is not simply a matter of body weight and how they look in the mirror.”