Response Aging
3 forum response. Minimum 100 words each. (300 total). Nothing fancy.
See below for post.
Post 1
Class,
Hair
As we grow older, one of the main changes that our bodies go through that one might not notice is the change in texture as well as color of our hair. There are many products out there that cater to both men and women who want to look younger as well as those who just like changing their hair colors. The hair color industry is a booming and according to BusinessWire, it is expected to reach $29.14 billion in the US alone by 2019 (businesswire.com).
When we are born, many of us don’t have any hair on our heads, but as time goes on, we start to grow a strand or two. Our hair is actually one of the clearest signs that we are aging. Our hair color comes from the amount of melanin that the hair follicles produce. As we continue to get older, the amount of melanin that is given off by the follicles decreases, hence that is why we end up having gray hair.
There is a lot of research that shows that as we get older, the color of our hair changes as well as the amount that we end up producing. When we are younger, we are able to grow our hair back when it falls out at a much quicker rate, but when we start to get older, that process slows down.
Obviously there are many products out there that advocate eliminating gray hair and all but thats just like coloring your hair. Proper diet and nutrition has also been stated as helping with slowing down the graying process being that eating healthy foods that are rich in copper can produce melanin which helps the hair follicles. Getting gray hair is not a big deal and its not something that you can permanently get rid of.
Richard
https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/004005.htm
Post 2
Wear and Tear of the Heart
Humans are living longer than ever before, thanks to medical interventions, better diets, more exercise, and new technologies. Regardless of all of this progress, in Western societies, individuals over the age of 65 have the highest mortality rate due to heart failure. (Ahmeh, 2011) Unfortunately, as we age, our tirelessly beating heart starts to change shape. This slight change in shape includes the blood vessels as well. If you remember some of the fun jargon from cardiovascular week, the sinoatrial node, or the natural pacemaker, can develop fatty deposits and the fibers become stiffer, and loses some cells. The left ventricle tends to get bigger, but due to its loss of elasticity, the heart isn’t able to fill as much. Overall changes of muscle density and tone decrease the hearts ability to continue pumping effectively. If this effectiveness decreases enough, the result is heart disease, and more specifically; heart attacks or myocardial infarction. The current heart attack statistics for 2017 are appalling. According to the American Heart Association, 2,200 Americans die of cardiovascular disease each day, which translates to 1 person dying every 40 seconds. It’s incredibly important to take care of your heart.
-Make sure you see a doctor for an annual exam, they’ll listen for any kind of defects in the beats of your heart as well as monitor your blood pressure and other vital signs.
-QUIT SMOKING!
-Through the evidence is conflicting for a ‘heart healthy diet’, consulting your doctor for what this would mean to your body, would be the wisest choice.
-Maintain a healthy weight
– Control your cholesterol/blood pressure
– Get regular cardiovascular exercise
– Stay hydrated
There is some evidence that omega-3 fatty acid supplements, or actually eating fish that contain it, such as salmon, herring, and trout, can decrease the risk of heart disease. Vitamin C has also been studied to decide if it plays a major role in reducing atherosclerosis (the aforementioned fatty arteries), thus helping the heart stay healthy. Scientific evidence doesn’t back this up conclusively. It is difficult to decide it it’s a cause and effect, or actually helping. Of course managing heart health as naturally as possible is the preferred approach, but sometimes medical intervention is necessary. That is often determined with tests like echocardiograms and various blood tests. If the heart does appear to be having problems, a doctor can prescribe medications that are called ACE inhibitors, these make the arteries wider in order to lower your blood pressure and make it easier for your heart to pump blood. There are also beta-blockers, which block the effects of epinephrine in the body. They cause your heart to beat slower and with less force. In addition to these there are other drugs that can help treat blood pressure and cholesterol directly. These are the two main components that affect an aging heart the most. A widely held belief is that a daily small dose of aspirin helps prevent heart attacks, but according to the study I’ve cited at the bottom, it’s not a significant enough different to offset the potential risks of having the blood thinned.
There aren’t any magic fixes to keeping your heart healthy as you age, it’s all about maintaining balance in your diet, exercise, and keeping your stress level down.
Chaudhary, K. R., El-Sikhry, H., & Seubert, J. M. (2011). Mitochondria and the aging heart. Journal of Geriatric Cardiology : JGC, 8(3), 159–167. http://doi.org/10.3724/SP.J.1263.2011.00159
Ikeda Y, Shimada K, Teramoto T, Uchiyama S, Yamazaki T, Oikawa S, Sugawara M, Ando K, Murata M, Yokoyama K, Ishizuka N. Low-Dose Aspirin for Primary Prevention of Cardiovascular Events in Japanese Patients 60 Years or Older With Atherosclerotic Risk FactorsA Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA. 2014;312(23):2510-2520. doi:10.1001/jama.2014.15690
Moser, M. A., & Chun, O. K. (2016). Vitamin C and heart health: A review based on findings from epidemiologic studies. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 17(8), 1328. doi:http://dx.doi.org.ezproxy1.apus.edu/10.3390/ijms17081328
Marissa
Post 3
Brain
Our brains develop very rapidly early in life, slowing down as we reach adulthood, and eventually stopping usually by the mid-twenties. Throughout adulthood, brain cells begin to shrink and deteriorate, eventually causing the entire brain itself to shrink in size (Dickie, 2012). The volume of shrinkage can vary due to other medical conditions such as hypertension, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease, which are believed to affect the density of vessels and cerebral blood flow, possibly speeding up the process. As the cells deteriorate, levels of neurons, neurotransmitters, and hormones are reduced, impairing various processes taking place in different regions of the brain, with studies suggesting the prefrontal cortex, temporal lobe, and the hippocampus most affected (Peters, 2006). As the size and efficiency of these areas are reduced, there are signs of cognitive decline in memory, reasoning, and communicating. The risk of developing dementia and related diseases like Alzheimer’s Disease increases sharply around the age of eighty, possibly due to the vascular degeneration or even inflammation, which can lead to deposits building up in the brain. Medical researchers believe maintaining a healthy lifestyle such as staying active, a healthy diet, and little to moderate alcohol consumption, can help to slow some of the deterioration, but there is no quick fix or reversing the effects of aging on the brain.
Dickie, D. A., Job, D. E., Poole, I., Ahearn, T. S., Staff, R. T., Murray, A. D., & Wardlaw, J. M. (2012). Do brain image databanks support understanding of normal ageing brain structure? A systematic review. European Radiology, 22(7), 1385-94. doi: http://dx.doi.org.ezproxy2.apus.edu/10.1007/s00330-012-2392-7
Peters, R. (2006). Ageing and the brain. Postgraduate Medical Journal, 82(964), 84–88. http://doi.org/10.1136/pgmj.2005.036665
Laurie
