Elevators may provide the convenience of transportation but it could increase the chances of developing chronic diseases. Researchers from the University of Missouri found direct evidence that reducing physical activity can cause diabetes and cardiovascular diseases.

Frank Booth, professor of biomedical sciences in the University of Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine, worked with researchers at the University of Copenhagen. They conducted two different studies to find out what happens to the bodies of people when there's a reduction in physical activity.

In the first study, participants were asked to uses motorized transportation instead of walking for three weeks. The second study asked people to reduce their daily steps from an average of 10,000 steps to only 1,400 per day for two weeks.

Results in the studies showed that the participants had higher levels of glucose and fat and had a more difficult time clearing these substances from their systems than before. Now the longer it takes the body to cleanse itself, the more likely it is for it to develop diabetes or other chronic diseases.

Co-author and lead investigator of the study, Bente Klarlund Pedersen said that:

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.

In addition to this, the researchers were also able to find out that the total skeletal and muscle mass of the body decreased when physical activity decreased.