9-8-09 Biological Changes

• Skin changes:
○ Three layers of the skin:
○ Epidermis: cells lose regularity and form in random arrangement
○ Dermis: composed of collagen and elastin
○ Subcutaneous fat: underlying layer of fat tissue that supports the skins
○ Sebaceous glands
○ Risk factors for skin changes: genetics, fair skin, photo aging (exposure to sun),
environmental toxins.

○ Treatments for skin problems

Cosmetic advances
Botox
Facelifts
Moisturizers-alpha-hydroxy acid

• Nails
Nails are actually a part of the skin
Nail growth rate slow down
Become yellow and ridged
Toes nails become curved
• Teeth loss
○ Jaw bone losses due to wear and tear
○ Yellow and loss of enamel
○ With tooth loss , lower income more likely to have no teeth.
• Hair
Hair eventually turns gray and then to white
Reductions in melanin production cause lack of pigmentation( gray/white hair)
Hair becomes thinner

○ Androgenetic alopecia- hair follicles stop producing the long thick pigmented hairs
and actually produce more of the short and fine un-pigmented hairs we can barely
see.

• Body Build-older actually do shrink

○ More pronounced in women
○ Bone material in vertebrae collapses
○ Middle-aged spread
 Accumulations of body fat around hips an waist
 Weight increases from 20’s-50’s
 Weight decreases after that

• SENSATION AND PERCEPTION

○ Vision: loss of visual acuity in someone 85 is 80% less than someone in their 40’s

○ Glare at night becomes more disabling

○ Cataracts: clouding that develops in the lens causing blurry vision.

 25% of population 65+ have cataracts.

○ Presbyopia: lens hardens and becomes less able to accommodate.

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○ Glaucoma: high pressure in eye-can cause blindness

○ 3rd most common cause of blindness

○ age-related macular degeneration (retina) leading cause of blindness

• Risks and Treatments for vision loss

Smoking

High intake of carbohydrates

Poor diets high in fatty acids

Family history

Diabetes and obesity

○ Hearing: loss of high frequencies

○ Slower reaction to pure tone tests

Age 20. 20 secs

Age 60 .37secs

Age 70 .53 secs

Speed of processing speech declines

140 words per min catch 100%

350 words per min catch only 45%

Hearing loss is worse for white men.

○ Presbycusis: degenerative changes in cochlea or auditory nerve to the brain

○ Tinnitus: persistent ringing in the ears

• Risks and Treatments for hearing loss

• Smoking

• diabetes

• high blood pressure

• loud noises

○ Smell and Taste

Decrease in number of receptors

Approximately 25% of those over 65 suffer from some impairment

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Environmental toxins sucnas smoking are main contributors.

• Muscles: reduction in number and size of muscles fibers

• Between 50-80 person loses some 30% skeletal muscles fibers.

• Muscles force reaches peak in 20’s and at 30’s remains stable util a fast decline after

50’s.

• Endurance is usually maintained.

○ Sarcopenia: progressive loss of muscles mass

○ Risks and Treatments for muscle changes

Being male

Being white

Very sedentary

Prevention: strength training

Studies show in just 16 weeks of resistance training can improve fast-twitch

muscle fibers numbers to that of those found in young.

Caloric restriction

Proteins and vitamins

• Bones/Joints

• Bone is actually living tissue

• renewal and destruction constantly occur

• testosterone and estrogen

• loss 70% genetically related

• Joints start to break down by 20’s

• Even over grows and becomes elongated.

○ Risks and Treatments for bone/joint changes

○ Physical activity

○ increased calcium and vitamin D

○ magnesium intake.
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• Mobility and Balance

Use of bones, joints, muscles for activity

Beginning in 40’s

Become unaware of body position, which causes greater like hood of falls

Women and African Americans at risk

○ Vertigo: sense of movement when body is actually at rest.

• Cardiovascular system:

Involves the heart and blood vessels

Left ventricle becomes less efficient causing less oxygenated blood

More plaque build up in arterial walls

Aerobic activity best for prevention

Low BMI and not smoking

• Respiratory System

• Muscles used for breathing weaken over time

• More often affects women

• Lower BMI and less fat intake can prevent respiratory problems.

• Exercise

• Quit smoking

• Urinary System:

Includes the kidney, bladder, and urethra

Loss of elasticity of bladder and slower excretion rates

Illness, medications, stress, extreme weather conditions affect functioning.

Incontinence affects 30%

Not being able to regulate when you do the bathroom

• Digestive System: less saliva and gastric juices produces

• Only 7% adults 65+ have fecal incontinence

• Changes in finances, mobility to shop, cognitive declines all impair ability to eat

properly
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• Endocrine System: set of glands that regulates hormones

• Hormones are our chemical messengers

• system is very sensitive to levels of stress and physical illness

• cortisol important stress hormone

• Immune System:-body ability to fight off stress, infection and other threats to our well being

• Immune senescence

• t-cells and B cells

• too weak can’t keep out cancer cells

• too aggressive-fails to recognize normal cells

• Nervous System:

○ Central Nervous System: coordinates the activity for all parts of our bodies.

○ Brain and spinal cord

○ Autonomic Nervous System: controls involuntary behaviors, response to stress, and

actions of other organ systems that sustain life.

• Sleep: myth: we don’t need less sleep

○ Sleep apnea: form of snoring which restrict airflow to lungs causing a person to

momentarily awake.

Prevention: alter sleep habit, watch out for sleep meds, and alcohol, exercise, sleep

therapy to re- regulate.

Temperature Control:

Deaths from hyperthermia increase particularly for people with heart disease

Death from hypothermia increase due to inability to regulate body temperature to

cold.
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