chapter 3

Question 1

metabolism

better quality of life=

Answer 1

how long you live

live longer

Question 2

Metabolic Theories
energy
calorie
diets

Answer 2

– Limited energy in lifetime suggest reducing
metabolism will lengthen the lifespan.
– Caloric reduction is associated with longer lifespan.
– Quality of life on extremely restricted diets is a
concern.

Question 3

hay flick
cross-linking
free radicles
antioxidants

Answer 3

– Limited number of times a cell can divide as you grow older. cells die faster, can’t divide like they used to (Hayflick
limit)
▪ Telomeres(needed in DNA replication to make the enzyme telomerase(play a major role in aging by adjusting the cells response to stress and shortens with each cell replication. (causes cells to limit # of divisions)

– Cross-linking
▪ Tissue becomes stiffer with age.

– Free radicals-unstable molecules that are highly reactive
▪ Reactive chemicals causing cellular damage

– Evidence is growing that antioxidants postpone the
appearance of age-related diseases.

Question 4

Programmed Cell Death Theories

Answer 4

– Aging programmed into genetic code?
– Cells pre-programmed to self-destruct?
▪ Unclear as to how it is activated
– Genetic aspects Contributes to other pathologies:
▪ Changes in the brain cells
▪ Alzheimer’s
▪ Memory loss
▪ Personality changes

Question 5

Implications of the Developmental Forces

Three general approaches to slowing or reversing the
aging process:

Answer 5

– Consider the biological, psychological, sociocultural,
and lifecycle forces (aging is not explained by just one factor)

-▪ Delay the chronic illnesses of old age
▪ Slow the fundamental processes of aging to increase
life span
▪ Arrest or reverse aging by removing the damage
caused by the metabolic process

Question 6

Changes in Skin

• why does our skin wrinkle?
• effects of sun exposure on skin
• other skin changes

Answer 6

▪ Four-step process of thinking, losing connectivity, loss of
elasticity, and decrease in underlying fat
▪ How to counteract these effects include “SSSW”(slip on a shirt, slop on sunscreen, slap on a hot, wrap on sunglasses to protect eyes)
-other chanes
▪ Pigment-containing cells decrease
▪ Age spots, moles
▪ Varicose veins

Question 7

Changes in Hair

• hair loss caused by
• graying caused by
• other hair changes

Answer 7

– Depends on Individual and gender differences
– Hair loss caused by destruction of germ centers that
produce hair follicles
– Graying caused by cessation of pigment production
– Other hair changes:
▪ Males do not lose facial hair.
▪ Females gain facial hair.
o Caused by hormonal changes of the climacteric

Question 8

• Changes in the Voice

Normative changes or poor health?

Answer 8

– Differences between young and old voices
▪ Lowering in pitch
▪ Increased breathlessness and trembling
▪ Slower and less pronounced pronunciation
▪ Decreased volume

• both
• changes in larynx respiratory system as we age and some researchers say that decline in voice is not part of aging process but poor health

Question 9

• Changes in Body Build

weight
-middle years, later years and diff. between men and women

Answer 9

– Differences in the way bodies look over time
• Decrease in height between mid-50s and mid70s men lose about 1 inch and women 2 inches
– Compression of the spine-loose bone strength
– Changes in posture-changes in discs

– Weight gain then loss
▪ Weight gain in the middle years
▪ Weight loss in the later years
▪ How different between men and
women?men weight gain in abdomen, woman weight gain in hips

height declines
weight fluctuations

Question 10

Changes in Mobility (general overview)
– Muscles
Men and women

Answer 10

▪ Strength loss: age 70—up to 20%; age 80—up to 40%
▪ No difference in the rate of muscle change between men and
women
▪ Lower body muscle loss contributes to increased loss of
balance
-falls and problems with walking increase

Question 11

Changes in Mobility (general overview)
– Bones
loose
gender
osteoporosis
Leading cause of

Answer 11

▪ Loss begins in the late 30s, accelerates in the 50s, and slows
in the 70s
▪ Gender differences-woman loose bone mass 2x as fast as men
▪ Osteoporosis: leading cause of broken bones in older women
-severe bone degeneration (honeycombs)

Question 12

Changes in Mobility (general overview)

joints

Answer 12

Joints
▪ Osteoarthritis-onset progression of pain and disability, with minor signs of inflammation
▪ Rheumatoid arthritis-more destructive disease of the joints develops slowly and affects joints and causes other types of pain area inflammation

Question 13

• Psychological Implications
– Gender differences
• Compensation

Answer 13

• woman work on beauty to remain visible in society
• men with grey hair seen as knowledgable

• Compensation
– Cosmetics, hair dyes, and plastic surgery
– Increasing use by men

Question 14

– Appearance versus actual losses in strength and

endurance

Answer 14

- strength and endurance have same psychological effects as beauty but arthritis can't be masked with beauty products
▪ Exercise and resistance training
▪ Pain in the joints may reduce mobility
▪ Loss of independence
▪ Rehabilitation after hip fractures

Question 15

• Vision
– Effects of structural changes in the eye
– Effects of retinal changes

Answer 15

▪ Adaptation—light and dark-ability to adapt to changes in illumination (can’t see well in the dark, sensitive to glare)
▪ Presbyopia-ability for eye to adjust and focus decreases
▪ Cataracts-opaque spots, limit amount of light transmitted
▪ Glaucoma-fluid in eye may not drain properly

– Effects of retinal changes
▪ Macular degeneration-irreversible destruction of receptors, loose ability to see details
▪ Diabetic retinopathy-fluid retention in the macula, detachment of retina, hemorrhage, aneurism

Question 16

• Psychological Effects of Visual Changes
-loss of activites
-changes in personality 
-falls
– Corrective actions

Answer 16

– Loss of activities
▪ Reading, TV watching, driving a car
– Changes in personality-stronger relationships with no impairments leads to 
▪ Extraversion
▪ Positive emotions
– Increase in vulnerability to falls
– Corrective actions
▪ Glasses (presbyopia)
▪ Surgery (cataracts)
▪ Corrective environmental changes

Question 17

• Hearing
presbycusis
» Sensory, neural, metabolic, and mechanical
– Social adjustment to hearing loss
What are some corrective actions that can be taken?

Answer 17

– Damage due to loud environment
▪ Cumulative effects
– Presbycusis -reduced sensitivity to low-pitches
» Sensory-little effect on hearing, neural-affects ability to understand speech, metabolic-severe loss to sensitivity to al pitches, and mechanical-loss across all pitches
– Social adjustment to hearing loss
▪ Loss of independence, social isolation, irritation,
paranoia, depression
▪ Emotional effects
– What are some corrective actions that can be taken?
-analog hearing aid-amplifier
-digital hearing aid-control flow of sound

Question 18

• Somesthesia

Answer 18

-touch feels different on different body parts
– Loss of touch
– Temperature regulation
– Pain sensitivity

Question 19

• Balance

– Can improve with training

Answer 19

– 1/3 of adults over 65 fall
– Vestibular system(designed to respond to forces of gravity), dizziness, and vertigo(spinning room)
– Can improve with training
▪ Tai Chi
▪ Wii Fit virtual reality simulations

Question 20

• Taste

Answer 20

– Too old to cut the mustard?
▪ Greater loss in sour and bitter tastes
▪ Risk of malnutrition

Question 21

• Smell

Answer 21

– Memory differences between odors and other memory
cues
▪ Alzheimer’s-can’t identify smells
– Reduced pleasure in eating, personal hygiene may
suffer, and safety factors

Question 22

Cardiovascular System
– Underlying cause of diminished capacity
– Decline in aerobic capacity

Answer 22

stiffening and Harding occurs at older age
– Underlying cause of diminished capacity
▪ Accumulation of fat deposits
▪ Stiffening of the heart muscle

– Decline in aerobic capacity
▪ Staying in good shape leads to less decline and less
threat of heart attacks during moderate physical tasks
(snow shoveling).

Question 23

• Cardiovascular Diseases

– Ethnic and gender differences

Answer 23

▪ Middle adulthood more men than women
▪ Later adulthood frequency converges between sexes
▪ Higher rates with African and Native Americans

Question 24

– Congestive heart failure causes include

Answer 24

▪ Causes include angina and myocardial infarction (MI)

• angina-chest pain-o2 supply to hear muscle is insufficient
• myocardial infarction-heart attack-blood supply to heart severely cut off

Question 25

– Atherosclerosis

Answer 25

-stroke, buildup of fat deposits on arterial walls
▪ Cerebrovascular accident (CVA)
▪ Hypertension BP goes up
– Higher rates among African Americans

Question 26

• Respiratory Disease

Answer 26

– Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
▪ Emphysema- (most common COPD) desctruction of membranes around air sacs in lungs
– 82% self-induced by smoking
▪ Chronic bronchitis-exposed to high conc. of dust, fumes, and pollution
– More common with people over 45
– Asthma is common respiratory disease that is
increasing in prevalence
– E-cigarettes and vaping contribute to lung
damage

Question 27

• Female Reproductive System

Answer 27

– Climacteric(they pass from their reproductive to nonproductive years) change begins in the 40s
▪ Transition—perimenopause- transition from regular mensuration to menopause
▪ Changes in reproductive organs and sexual functioning-walls shrink, pain duringsex, decrease desire sex.

Question 28

Menopause

Answer 28

-menstraution stops
▪ Ethnic differences in the severity of symptoms-mating America positive, European negative
▪ Loss of estrogen is related to health conditions(osteoporosis, weight gain, memory loss
▪ Treatments, diet, yoga, and menopausal hormone
therapy -take low doses of estrogen and pro estrogen

Question 29

Male Reproductive System

• Psychological Implications

Answer 29

– Unlike menopause, no event to mark reproductive changes
▪ Decline in testosterone levels
▪ Decrease in sperm production (30% between 30 and 60)
– Prostate cancer a real threat
– Erectile dysfunction is treatable

• Psychological Implications
– For healthy adults, sexual activity is a lifelong option with
an available partner.

Question 30

• Regulating Body Temperature

Answer 30

– Elderly susceptible to hypothermia and hyperthermia

-hard time telling that their core temp is low, don’t know if they are cold

Question 31

autonomic nervous system

Answer 31

consists of the nerves in the body outside the brain and spinal column

Question 32

sleep and aging

Answer 32

– Sleep complaints are common.
– Nearly every aspect of sleep undergoes age-related
changes.
– Circadian rhythm changes
▪ Shift from two-phase to multiphase pattern