“Inactivity is typically going to lead to people being overweight and obese,” said Fadel. “The next step after that is insulin resistance, which leads to Type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.” More than 29 million Americans are living with diabetes.
That number is expected to continue to increase: the CDC estimates one-third of people born after 2000 will have Type 2 diabetes in their lifetimes. “The best treatment is to become more active, and our research lends proof to that concept,” Fadel said. “If you do not realize how harmful sitting around all day and not doing any activity is to your health, this proves it.”
The researchers studied the early effects on the body’s blood vessels 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. Five thousand steps is the national average, but only half of the daily recommendation from the U.S. Surgeon General.