Biology Non Communicable diseases and Cardiovascular disease

Question 1

What are some examples of lifestyle choices that can cause diseases?

Answer 1

Excessive intake of alcohol
Intake of drugs

Question 2

How does Excessive intake of alcohol harm the body?

Answer 2

Ethanol is broken down in the liver and excessive drinking
over a long time period can cause liver damage and lead to
cirrhosis.

Question 3

The effects of alcohol vary from person to person and with
factors such as?

Answer 3

Level of food/water intake
age and gender
body weight/body fat
rate of consumption

Question 4

What are the short-term effects of alcohol?

Answer 4

• Small amounts of alcohol = feel relaxed
• Further consumption = depressant effect, making reactions uncoordinated
  impairing speech
• Alcohol is a diuretic = more urine produced so can lead to dehydration, which
  contributes to a hangover!
• Alcohol also makes blood vessels dilate = heat loss
• Alcohol slows down reaction times, gives a false sense of confidence and
  affects a person’s decision-making ability.
• At high levels, alcohol causes vomiting, unconsciousness and can even cause
  breathing to stop and lead to death.

Question 5

When is someone considered obese?

Answer 5

• When a person’s diet is high in sugars and fats
• Fat are stored under the skin and around organs
• Many health problems e.g. Heart attack

Question 6

What is wrong with fast food?

Answer 6

• High in saturated animal fats, sugar and salt
• Very little fiber, vitamins, minerals

Question 7

What is BMI?

Answer 7

Body Mass Index (BMI) measures the relative amounts of fat and muscle in the body.

Question 8

How do you calculate BMI?

Answer 8

body mass(Kg) / Height squared (m)

Question 9

What are their health risks of being obese?

Answer 9

Obese people have an increased risk of arthritis, diabetes and heart disease

Question 10

How can Calculating BMI be bad in terms of accuracy?

Answer 10

• Calculating a person’s BMI can be useful, but the formula can overestimate
  the proportion of body fat in people who are muscular.
• This is because muscle is denser than fat

Question 11

What is a alternative way to check is someone is obese?

Answer 11

Waist to hip ratio

Question 11

What are the steps leading to a heart attack? (8)

Answer 11

1. High blood pressure damages the WALL of the artery
2. Fat starts to build up (cholesterol)
3. This narrows the artery lumen so less blood flows
4. Red blood cells may stick together forming a clot as well
5. So less oxygen delivered to the heart MUSCLE cells
6. So less AEROBIC respiration
7. So less energy in cells therefore they die
8. Heart attack occurs

Question 12

How does Smoking and High fat diets increase risk of heart attack?

Answer 12

Smoking increases blood pressure
High fat diet increases fats / cholesterol in blood

Question 13

What are the three substances that Tobacco smoke contains?

Answer 13

• tar (builds up - mutagen)
• nicotine (addictive and poisonous)
• carbon monoxide (toxic)

Question 14

How do the substances in tobacco smoke affect the blood?

Answer 14

• Lower oxygen supply to cells due to CO and less surface area in alveoli
• Higher blood pressure – damaging wall of arteries
• Constriction of blood vessels (making vessels narrower) due to nicotine
• Increase in the risk of blood clots forming

Question 15

What are three ways you can Prevent cardiovascular disease?

Answer 15

• Exercise
• Giving up smoking as smoking
• Medication taken (in some cases) to lower blood pressure
• Minimize salt intake as salt increases blood pressure

Question 15

What are two ways you can Treat cardiovascular disease?

Answer 15

1. Using a stent – a small mesh tube with a balloon inserted in the narrow part
   which inflates and opens up the artery restoring blood flow
2. Having bypass surgery where the blocked artery is bypassed by inserting other
   blood vessels so blood flow is restored