Ex1 L1 - What is Aging Flashcards
Describe the concept of our “aging population.”
“pyramid to pillar”
the population used to be represented by a pyramid shape, where there were the most people in age 0-4 and then it narrowed until the 85+ group is very small. however, as years pass the population is better represented by a pillar, where the age groups are all about the same size.
- older people are going to outnumber young people
There are two ways that a population can grow. What are they? How are these two ways changing in relation to eachother as time goes on?
- natural increase (more birth than death)
- net international migration (more people who move to the US than people who leave the US)
- natural increase used to be greater than net internal migration, but this will flip soon and by 2060 there will be far more internal migration than natural increase
Life expectancy has generally —– over the last 100 years. There is a dip in the African population which represents what historical period?
increased
the HIV/AIDS epidemic
The most recent event that has shown dips in mortality rates/life expectancy was…
COVID
Generally, women have —– life expectancies than men.
longer
What events caused big changes in life expectancy in the 1960s, 1970-80s, and 1990-2000s, and 2000s?
1960-65: improved due to CPR, pacemakers, and Medicaid/medicare
1970-80: got worse due to cigarettes and AIDS
1990-2000: improved due to statins and other medical developments
2000s: got worse due to obesity
Who was the oldest human?
Jeanne Calment who lived to 122 and a half
What was the Supercentarian research study and what was observed from it?
20 people over age 115, they had nothing in common except most were female and all were blind and deaf by age 105
What is aging?
aging - progressive, event-dependent decline in the ability to maintain biochemical/physiological function. Largely influenced by environmental factors.
The rate of —- can impact ——.
the rate of aging can impact longevity
What is longevity?
longevity - the length of the lifespan, independent of the biological aging process. Genetically determined.
What theory relates to the lifespan/reproductive years of elephants?
Allocation Theory -
resources get allocated to different needs
Elephants have a shorter life span than us, but many more reproductive years and long gestations, probably because they have very few predators
What qualities are unique about aging for lobsters, plants, and hydra?
lobsters: continually grow their entire life
plants: limbs can reproduce
hydra: biologically immortal, no typical deterioration or breakdown (maybe due to FOXO genes)
What is Geroscience?
intersection between basic biology, aging, and health
a new field of science that studies disease in the context of aging
