Chapter 3

Question 1

What do metabolic theories of aging assume?

Answer 1

They assume that people are born with a limited amount of energy to be expended in a lifetime.

Question 2

How are metabolic rates related to life spans in animals?

Answer 2

Slower metabolic rates in animals are correlated with longer life spans.

Question 3

What is the relationship between caloric intake and aging?

Answer 3

Decreased caloric intake is associated with lower risk of premature death, slower normative age-related changes, and longer life spans.

Question 4

What limits the benefits of caloric intake?

Answer 4

Benefits are limited by when feeding occurs, quantities, and what is eaten.

Question 5

What is the Hayflick limit?

Answer 5

It suggests that there might be limits on how often cells divide before dying.

Question 6

What happens to telomeres with each cell replication?

Answer 6

The tips of chromosomes become shorter and eventually become unable to replicate.

Question 7

How can moderate exercise affect telomeres?

Answer 7

Moderate exercise may maintain telomere length or slow the rate of shortening.

Question 8

What is cross-linking in the context of aging?

Answer 8

It results from proteins interacting and randomly producing molecules that make the body more stiff.

Question 9

What are free radicals?

Answer 9

Highly reactive chemicals produced randomly during normal cellular metabolism resulting in cellular damage.

Question 10

What is the implication of high antioxidant diets?

Answer 10

High antioxidant diets may postpone the appearance of age-related diseases, but there is no direct evidence linking them with an actual increase in life span.

Question 11

What do genetic programming theories suggest?

Answer 11

They suggest that the innate ability of cells to self-destruct is due to a genetic program triggered by physiological processes.

Question 12

What do biological theories of aging provide?

Answer 12

They provide ways to describe biological forces affecting aging.

Question 13

What are some psychological effects of aging on appearance?

Answer 13

Changes in appearance may lead to psychological effects like depression and reduced independence.

Question 14

What causes wrinkles in aging skin?

Answer 14

Wrinkles result from a complex, four-step process involving thinning skin, loss of collagen flexibility, loss of elastin ability, and diminished underlying fat.

Question 15

What factors contribute to skin aging?

Answer 15

Ultraviolet light, smoking, poor diet, and excessive alcohol consumption.

Question 16

What changes occur in hair as people age?

Answer 16

Thinning and graying hair result from the cessation of pigmentation and destruction of germ centers that produce hair follicles.

Question 17

What is presbyopia?

Answer 17

It is the difficulty in seeing nearby objects due to stiffening of the lens.

Question 18

What are cataracts?

Answer 18

Opaque spots on the lens that limit the amount of light transmitted.

Question 19

What is the leading cause of broken bones in older women?

Answer 19

Osteoporosis, a bone degeneration disease.

Question 20

What is the relationship between aging and balance?

Answer 20

Loss of muscle in the legs contributes to increased loss of balance and falls.

Question 21

What is presbycusis?

Answer 21

It is the reduced ability to hear high-pitched tones due to changes in the inner ear.

Question 22

What is the impact of taste and smell changes in older adults?

Answer 22

They can lead to reduced pleasure in eating and social situations, and dangerous situations like undetected propane leaks.

Question 23

What cardiovascular changes occur with aging?

Answer 23

Some fat accumulates around the heart, and the amount of blood pumped declines.

Question 24

What is congestive heart failure?

Answer 24

It occurs when the ability of the heart to contract severely declines along with cardiac output.

Question 25

What is the significance of hypertension in older adults?

Answer 25

Older adults with hypertension have three times the risk of dying from cardiovascular disease.

Question 26

What respiratory changes occur with aging?

Answer 26

The rib cage and air passageways become stiffer, making it harder to breathe.

Question 27

What is the climacteric in women?

Answer 27

The transition from being able to have children to being unable to bear children.

Question 28

What are common symptoms during menopause?

Answer 28

Hot flashes, night sweats, headaches, and mood changes.

Question 29

What happens to testosterone levels in aging men?

Answer 29

Men show a gradual decline in testosterone levels.

Question 30

What are the psychological implications of aging on sexual performance?

Answer 30

Social constraints reduce opportunities for older adults to engage in sexual relationships.

Question 31

What changes occur in the autonomic nervous system with aging?

Answer 31

Older adults have a decreased ability to tell when their core body temperature is low.

Question 32

What happens to social relationships for older adults?

Answer 32

The social constraints placed on older adults reduce the opportunity to engage in these relationships.

Question 33

What is the role of the Autonomic Nervous System in older adults?

Answer 33

It regulates body temperature.

Question 34

How does the ability to sense cold change in older adults?

Answer 34

Older adults have a decreased ability to tell that their core body temperature is low, resulting in them being less able to tell that they are cold.

Question 35

What is the vasoconstrictor response in older adults?

Answer 35

It is the ability to raise one’s core body temperature when the body’s peripheral temperature drops.

Question 36

How does sweating change in older adults?

Answer 36

Older adults do not sweat as much and are less likely to drink water to cool themselves.

Question 37

What risks do older adults face regarding body temperature?

Answer 37

They are at increased risk for hypothermia (body temperature below 95 degrees) and hyperthermia (body temperature above 98.6 degrees).

Question 38

How does sleep change with aging?

Answer 38

Older adults take longer to fall asleep, are awake more at night, are more easily awakened, and experience major shifts in their circadian rhythms.

Question 39

What is the shift in circadian rhythms for older adults?

Answer 39

There is a move from a two-phase rhythm (awake during the day and asleep during the night) to a multiphase rhythm (daytime napping and shorter sleep cycles at night).

Question 40

What are major causes of sleep disturbances in older adults?

Answer 40

Sleep apnea, leg jerks, heartburn, frequent need to urinate, poor physical health, and depression.

Question 41

What is a significant threat related to thermoregulation in older adults?

Answer 41

Increased difficulty in thermoregulation is a significant threat.

Question 42

What should be focused on to help older adults with sleep?

Answer 42

Focus on providing external means of regulation, systems that respond to intervention, and making sure the sleep environment is maximally conducive to sleeping.