Biological determinants Flashcards
Define: biological determinants
factors relating to the body that impact health
How is bmi measured?
: (Weight kg)/[Height (m)]^2
Categories for BMI?
o Under 18.5 is underweight.
o 18.6-24.9 is healthy weight
o 25-29.9 is overweight
o Over 30 is obese.
What doesn’t BMI take into account?
fat distribution
how do we meausre fat distribution?
Waist circumfurence o 88cm for females and 102 for males means greater risk of ill health
What is higher proportion of abdominal fat linked to?
Higher risk of disease and illness dummkopf
Effects of high body weight?
High body weight can lead to obesity. Obesity can lead to: • High blood pressure • High blood cholesterol • Impaired glucose regulation/type 2 diabetes • Cardiovascular disease • Some cancers (esp. colorectal) • Respiratory problems • Arthiritis • Self esteem issues and depression • Social exclusion
Describe blood pressure
- Increases as the heart contracts and expels blood, because more pressure is applied to vessel walls (aka. systolic pressure)
- Decreases as heart relaxes and fills with blood, therefore less pressure is applied to vessel walls (aka. diastolic pressure)
How is blood pressure measured?
Using a sphygmomanometer – has a column of mercury
What is blood pressure measured in adn how is it reported?
millimetres of mercury (mmHg). Systolic/diastolic
normal blood pressure?
120/80
Define: hypertension
high blood pressure
Does high blood pressure have symptoms
no
How can hypertension be diagnosed
only through check ups
how can hypertension be controlled
medication and lifestyle changes
What does hypertension mean in terms of blood vessels?
Blood doesn’t flow through them as easily. Therefore the heart and kidney (filters blood) must work harder
Causes of hypertension?
- Stress
- Obesity
- Lack of physical activity
- Smoking
- Excess alcohol consumption
- Genetic predisposition
- Poor diet (esp. excess sodium)
- Atherosclerosis (narrowed arteries means strain on heart)
- Low birth weight
Effects of hypertension?
- Cardiovascular disease (heart attack and stroke)
* Kidney failure
Define: cholesterol
type of fat produced in liver required for maintaining cell membranes and producing hormones.
cholesterol is found in what?
some animal products
how can blood cholesterol levels be raised?
by eating trans/saturated fats and cholesterol
What is bad cholesterol?
LDL (low density lipoprotein)
what is good cholesterol?
HDL
How can levels of cholesterol be checked?
With a blood test
Risk factors for high blood cholesterol?
- Excessive alcohol intake
- Smoking
- Lack of exercise
- Genetic predisposition
- High saturated fat and trans fat intake
- Obesity
Effects of high blood cholesterol?
Cv disease
Too much LDL - atherosclerosis (leads to heart attack and stroke)
Define: atherosclerosis
hardening and narrowing of arteries, due to too much LDL deposited on walls of blood vessels which leads to less space for blood to travel through and other substances (Eg. calcium to become embedded)
How can blood cholesterol levels be produced?
• Lifestyle interventions can reduce cholesterol levels, but if genetically predispositioned then medication may be necessary.
Define: insulin resistance
when the body becomes resistant to the action of insulin – which can lead to type 2 diabetes and cv disease.
how can insulin resistance be treated?
lifestyle changes such as • Weight loss • Diet • Quitting smoking • Managing stress
WHat might cause insulin resistance?
- Genetic predisposition
- Stress
- Pregnancy
- Lack of exercise
- Smoking
- Being overweight (particularly around abdomen)
- High fat diet
- Alcohol consumption
- High LDL cholesterol
- High blood pressure
- Low birth weight
What can type 2 diabetes lead to?
- Heart attack
- Stroke
- Kidney disease
- Premature death
- Reduced social interaction
- Stress
What is low birth weight?
less than 2.5kg
what can low birth weight be caused by?
- Premature birth (the baby has less time in the uterus to develop)
- Age of the mother: higher rates for less than 15 and over 45
- Bad diet (inadequate nutrition can lead to underdevelopment of the foetus)
- Smoking, drugs and alcohol reduce foetal growth
- Illness of the mother can lead to early labour or slowed growth (chicken pox and rubella)
What can low birth weight lead to?
- Underdeveloped immune system
- Premature death
- Speech and learning disabilities
- High blood pressure, cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes as an adult.
Define: gene mutaiton
DNA in a cell is damaged or changed, which permanently alters the cell’s genetic information.
Define: genetic predisposition to disease
when genes don’t directly cause a condition but make them more likely to develop it
Gene mutations can lead to…
genetic conditions (eg. Downs Syndrome, trisomy 21)
Describe how conditions can be more dominant in a particular gender
- Males more likely to have haemophilia (blood doesn’t clot) (X-linked recessive)
- Women can’t get prostate/testicular cancer; men can’t get ovarian cancer and are less likely to have breast cancer due to smaller breasts.
Which diseases can have genetic predisposition?
- Some cancers (skin, breast, prostate)
- CV disease
- Both diabetes
- Hypertension
- Depression
- Obesity
What are hormones responsible for?
characteristics, which may contribute to difference in health concerns experienced by sexes
Roles of oestrogen?
o Key hormone in regulating menstrual cycle; keeps bones strong and maintains bone density.
o Levels decline in menopause, and this reduces bone mass – more fragile
o Potentially plays a protective role in development of cardiovascular disease, as it is less common than in men
o May influence fat distribution and cause the body to be pear shaped (fat on buttocks and thighs), because men and menopausal women without oestrogen tend to be apple shaped (on abdomen)
Roles of testosterone/
o Male sex hormone (and small amounts in women)
o Responsible for sex characteristics, sperm production and risk taking behaviour
What are the biological determinants?
Body weight Blood cholesterol Blood pressure Glucose regulation Low birth weight HOrmones Genetics
