Aging and Performance Enhancing Drugs Flashcards
Where is population aging happening?
- in all regions and in all countries at various levels of development
- progressing fastest in developing countries
What is the average length of human life? How is their time with health and compromised health affected?
- 75 to 78 years
- modest gain in healthy years but greater increase in years of compromised health
Which physiological functions decline with age?
- all of them
- decline in cellular protein synthesis, immune function, muscle, strength, bone mineral density
- increase in fat mass, physical frailty
How does BMI change with age?
- increases
What becomes impaired as people age?
- glucose tolerance
- diabetes mellitus
What are the 2 main factors in deterioration of glucose metabolism?
- decrease insulin secretion by beta cells
- increase insulin resistance (poor diet, physical inactivity, increase abdominal fat)
What changes in the thyroid with age?
- small decrease in TSH secretion from pit
- large decrease in T4 metabolism in peripheral tissues (T4 stays same, T3 declines)
What changes in GH with age?
- growth hormone effectively promotes the development of lean muscle
What do we believe regulates aging?
- hypothalamus or higher brain
What is DHEA? How is it affected by aging?
- steroid precursor
- plays a role in “feeling well”
- decreased in obesity and diabetes
- decreased with age
What could affect both aging and obesity?
- perhaps caloric intact
What results from overweight people cutting their calories by 25 percent for six months?
- reduced fasting insulin levels
- marker for lower levels have been associated with increased longevity in humans
What is osteoporosis?
- disease of aging
- bone mineral density decrease with age
- associated with high glucocorticoids
Why does osteoporosis especially effect women?
- because they have less androgen which increases bone and low estrogen after menopause
What is the treatment for osteoporosis?
- supplementation with both calcium and vitamin D
- other nutrients play important roles: zinc, copper and iron
- bisphosphonates also effective antiresorptive agents
How are bisphophonates anto-resorptive agents?
- inhibit osteoclast attachment to bone matrix and enhance osteoclast apoptosis
Which two hormones decline with age in both males and females?
- testosterone and DHEA
What happens if DHEA and testosterone is supplemented/replaced?
- no physiologically relevant beneficial effects on body composition, physical performance, insulin sensitivity or quality of life
What are the negative effects of testosterone supplementation?
- acne, oily skin, hair loss
- increased hematocrit, sleep apnea, acceleration of pre-existing prostrate growth
What are some of the dangerous effects of testosterone therapy?
- increased risk of heart attack, stroke, blood clots and heart-rhythm irregularities
- sleep apnea and prostate cancer risk
What are the functions of ovarian estrogen and progesterone?
- maintain reproductive function
- modulate cardiovascular, neural, immune, gastrointestinal, musco-skeletal systems
- increase during pregnancy (good for uterine environment)
What happens to estrogen and progesterone after menopause?
- vasomotor flushes, vaginal dryness, urinary symptoms
- risk for osteoporosis and coronary heart disease increases
- stroke and dementia risk increase (unsure if related)
What could be the benefits of estrogen therapy?
- reduce coronary heart disease by 50%
- also decrease osteoporosis
What was observed when testing estrogen therapy?
- increase breast cancer and cardiovascular problems (coronary heart disease and stroke)
- reduction in fractures and colon cancer
- only recommended to use hormone therapy for short time to manage menopausal symptoms
When is estrogen (only) replacement therapy safe?
- for some menopausal women
- women who have had a hysterectomy (appears safe and may reduce risk of breast cancer)
