Researchers found that reducing regular physical activity, even for a few days, can lead to a decrease in function of the leg's lining in blood vessels, which can lead to vascular dysfunction.
The research team also found vascular dysfunction triggered by five days of inactivity required taking at least 10,000 steps, and more than just one day of doing so, to reverse, the University of Missouri - Columbia reported.
"We know the negative consequences from not engaging in physical activity can be reversed," said Paul Fadel, associate professor of medical pharmacology and physiology. "There is much data to indicate that at any stage of a disease, and at any time in your life, you can get active and prolong your life. However, we found that skipping just five days of physical activity causes damage to blood vessels in the legs that can take a prolonged period of time to repair."
To make their findings the researchers looked at the effects that occurred when an individual went from taking 10,000 steps per day to less than 5,000 steps. Currently the U.S. national average is about 5,000, but this is only half of what is recommended by the U.S. Surgeon General.
"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. Then we give them behavioral tools, like pedometers, to monitor and help them achieve higher physical activity so they start to see and feel health improvements.
"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."
The findings were published in a recent edition of the Journal of Applied Physiology.
