Taking the elevator could be worse for your body
In new JAMA study, Mizzou researcher finds that lack of regular
physical activity could be a cause of many diseases; effects could
start within 2 weeks
COLUMBIA, Mo. -- For years, scientists have been proclaiming the
benefits of exercise. Studies showing that regular exercise benefits
human health have exploded in number, examining many health problems
ranging from cancer and diabetes to arthritis and pre-mature death.

Now, a University of Missouri researcher has found direct evidence to
support the claim of the Centers for Disease Control that a reduction
in daily physical activity is an actual cause of many of the risk
factors for chronic diseases, including diabetes and cardiovascular
disease. The research team also found that it only takes about two
weeks of reduced activity for individuals to start noticing the
effects. The study is being published in the Journal of the American
Medical Association (JAMA) this week.

"A low level of daily physical activity not only doesn't help your
current health status, it could be the reason you got sick in the
first place," said Frank Booth, professor of biomedical sciences in
the MU College of Veterinary Medicine. "Our study looked at what
happened when a group of individuals reduced their daily physical
activity. Our findings indicated that if there is a lack of normal
physical activity, a person greatly increases the chances of
developing a chronic disease. Previously, we thought that not
exercising just wasn't healthy, but we didn't think that a lack of
activity could cause disease. That assumption was wrong."

Booth and researchers at the University of Copenhagen conducted two
different studies in Copenhagen. In the first study, participants were
asked to reduce the amount of steps they took per day from 6,000 to
1,400 for three weeks. Instead of walking or taking the stairs,
participants were instructed to use motorized transportation, such as
a car or elevator, in every situation possible.

The second study asked participants who were more active, averaging
10,000 steps per day, to reduce their activity to 1,400 steps per day
for two weeks. The number of steps the average American adult takes
per day is 7,473, although Americans who are inactive typically take
about 2,100 steps each day.

At the end of each study, participants were administered a glucose
tolerance test or a fat tolerance test, or both. These tests measure
how fast the body is able to clear glucose or fat from the blood
stream. The researchers found that after two weeks of no exercise and
very little activity, participants had much higher levels of glucose
and fat and took a much longer time to clear the substances from their
blood streams than before. The longer it takes the body to clear the
blood stream of the substances, the higher the likelihood that a
person will develop diabetes or other chronic diseases.

"We used to think that it is healthy to be physically active, but this
study shows that it is dangerous to be inactive for just a couple of
weeks," said Bente Klarlund Pedersen, co-author and lead investigator
of the study and professor of internal medicine and director of Centre
of Inflammation and Metabolism at the University of Copenhagen. "After
14 days of reduced stepping, subjects experienced accumulation of the
dangerous abdominal fat, while also developing elevated blood-lipids,
a sign of -pre-diabetes and cardiovascular disease. If you choose the
passive mode of transport and abstain from exercise, than your risk of
chronic disease is likely to increase markedly."

"When the doctor says to go and exercise, they are not just telling
patients to do that to improve their health; increasing daily stepping
could actually reverse a cause of chronic disease," Booth said. "When
extra fats and sugars (glucose) don't clear the bloodstream, they go
where we don't want them and cause problems for our bodies' typical
metabolic functions."

The researchers also found that the total skeletal and muscle mass in
the body decreased when the lack of activity decreased. Booth says
that longer studies are needed to help answer more questions about the
detrimental effects of long-term physical inactivity.