Integrative Contexts Flashcards
(79 cards)
1
Q
What are the basic effects of alcohol on the body?
A
- Acts as a depressant and diuretic
- Toxic to the brain and liver in high quantities
- Carcinogenic
- Increases energy intake
- May slightly increase HDL-C but negative effects outweigh benefits
2
Q
How does alcohol affect catabolic and anabolic processes?
A
- Inhibits FFA mobilisation and glucose uptake (catabolism);
- Reduces protein synthesis and glycogenesis (anabolism)
3
Q
How does alcohol affect immunity?
A
Suppresses both adaptive and innate immunity
4
Q
What are the brain and thermoregulation effects of alcohol?
A
- Impairs cognition and motor control
- Causes skin vasodilation
- Affects electrolyte balance
- Impairs thermoregulation
5
Q
How is alcohol (ethanol) eliminated from the body?
A
<10% is excreted via breath, sweat, urine; >90% is metabolised in the liver to acetaldehyde (toxic), then to acetate (non-toxic)
6
Q
What factors influence alcohol elimination?
A
- Age
- Sex
- Habituation
- Individual differences (e.g., ethnicity)
- Feeding effect
- Hepatic blood flow
- Possibly exercise
7
Q
What are the cardiovascular effects of alcohol?
A
- Increases adrenaline
- Blood pressure
- Arrhythmias
- Infarction risk
- Hypothermia risk.
- Causes long-term myocardial damage and hypertension
8
Q
What metabolic and immune effects does alcohol have?
A
- Increases adrenaline
- Decreases insulin
- Increases glycogenolysis
- Impairs neutrophil
- Macrophage
- Lymphocyte function
9
Q
How does alcohol affect fluid balance and hydration?
A
Impairs anti-diuretic hormone secretion, may cause hypohydration depending on exercise intensity and alcohol content
10
Q
What CNS effects does alcohol have?
A
- Suppresses cardiovascular control
- Impairs vestibular and visuomotor function
- Decreases sleep quality
- Impairs performance the next day
11
Q
How does alcohol impact muscle function and athletic performance?
A
- Decreases endurance
- VO₂max
- Skilled motor activity
- Fuel availability.
- Can reduce tremors (e.g., marksmen)
12
Q
What are the training-related effects of alcohol?
A
Reduces force recovery, protein synthesis, may cause oxidative damage and muscle atrophy. May affect males more than females
13
Q
How problematic is alcohol in sports?
A
Major health risk, increases injury and negative outcomes. Binge drinking is common in sport and linked to hazardous behaviours
14
Q
What countermeasures exist for alcohol’s effects?
A
Moderation is key. Food intake may aid clearance; exercise does not help alcohol clearance
15
Q
What is the overall summary of alcohol’s impact on exercise?
A
Alcohol is widely accepted but causes many social and physical issues. It negatively affects both acute and chronic exercise responses
16
Q
What is water?
A
- An essential nutrient
- 40-70% of body mass
- Building material
17
Q
What are the functions of water?
A
- Solvent, reactant and medium for reactions to occur within
- Thermoregulation
- Lubricant and shock absorber
18
Q
What is hyperhydration?
A
More body water volume than normal
19
Q
What is euhydration?
A
Normal state of body water
20
Q
What is hypohydration?
A
Less body water volume than normal
21
Q
What is dehydration?
A
The process of losing water
22
Q
What is rehydration?
A
The process of regaining water
23
Q
What do the blood pressure receptors detect?
A
Detect venous and arterial pressures (detect volume)
24
Q
What do osmoreceptors detect?
A
- 1% increase in ECF osmolality will decrease urine production
- 2% stimulates thirst
25
What controls water volume and composition?
- Blood pressure receptors
- Osmoreceptors
- Both are dynamic in time and space and are stressed by exercise
26
How precise is daily body fluid balance maintained?
Usually < +-0.5L/day (= same in kg/day)
27
What is the typical daily fluid turnover in temperate/inactive conditions?
~2.5 L/day
28
How much fluid turnover is possible with exercise and heat?
12+ L/day
29
What does a stable daily body fluid balance indicate?
Effective control processes in fluid regulation
30
What does exercise cause the body to lose?
Water and sodium
31
Why is the balance of water and sodium (osmolarity) important?
It affects physiology, performance, and health
32
What is hyponatraemia?
A condition caused by overly diluted extracellular fluid, potentially fatal
33
What happens to sweat rate during exercise?
It ranges from 0.4 to 2.0+ L/hour
34
What is the stomach’s typical emptying rate?
~1 L/hour
35
Should you aim for zero mass loss during hard exercise?
No; some loss is expected from glycogen and bound water
36
How does hypohydration affect the cardiovascular system?
Reduces stroke volume, increases heart rate, and causes cardiovascular strain
37
What are the thermoregulatory effects of hypohydration?
Increased sweating and skin blood flow thresholds, leading to hyperthermia
38
How does hypohydration affect muscle metabolism?
Increases muscle glycogen utilisation
39
How does dehydration influence performance?
Primarily reduces endurance performance, especially in heat
40
What is the ACSM's hydration recommendation during exercise?
Drink early and regularly to replace sweat losses or as much as tolerable
41
What is the alternative view to ACSM hydration guidelines?
Drink to thirst to avoid hyponatraemia; no extra performance benefit beyond thirst
42
Can hypohydration affect cognitive function?
Only if ≥2% body mass lost, and not consistently shown in research
43
Does hydration beyond euhydration improve health?
No demonstrated benefit; chronic hypohydration may increase disease risk
44
How should you hydrate before exercise?
~0.5 L 3-4 hours before and ~0.2 L within 30 minutes (unless running hard)
45
What is the optimal fluid intake during exercise over 40 minutes?
~600 mL/hour, cool in temperature, with CHO and ~20 mmol/L Na+
46
What’s the recommended post-exercise hydration strategy?
~120% of mass lost, including protein and salt
47
Why is starting exercise hypohydrated risky?
Increases dehydration risk and performance loss, especially in heat
48
How can you check for adequate hydration post-exercise?
Achieve at least one clear urine per day, not caused by bolus drinking
49
What is Physical Activity (PA)?
Any movement by muscles that increases energy expenditure; includes exercise
50
What is Exercise?
Planned, structured, and repetitive PA often aimed at improving fitness or health. Its 'dose' reflects Frequency, Intensity, and Time
51
Define Health
A state of physical, mental, and social well-being, not merely the absence of disease
52
What is Hauora?
A Māori concept of health including physical, mental/emotional, social, and spiritual well-being (taha tinana, hinengaro, whānau, wairua)
53
What is Health-Related Physical Fitness?
Aspects of fitness linked to health outcomes
54
Define Longevity
Length of life; influenced by exercise and healthy life expectancy
55
What determines if a stimulus is healthy or harmful?
The pattern of stress (acute vs. chronic) affects health outcomes across systems (e.g., BP, hormones, muscle proteins)
56
What are the 3 categories influencing fitness, health, and disease risk?
Inherited/biological (e.g., age, genetics), environmental, and behavioural (e.g., diet, exercise)
57
Why is PA considered "pluripotent" in medicine?
Because it helps prevent and treat multiple chronic diseases simultaneously
58
Which diseases can PA help prevent or treat?
CHD, stroke, hypertension, T2DM, dyslipidaemia, some cancers, depression, cognitive decline, osteoporosis, obesity, and more
59
Does PA benefit all cancers equally?
No. Strong benefit for lung & colorectal; moderate for breast & esophageal; unclear or adverse for melanoma & prostate
60
Do dose-response relationships vary between people?
Yes. Less fit/healthy individuals show the greatest gains from exercise
61
Do dose-response relationships vary between conditions?
Yes. E.g., improving lipids requires more PA than improving insulin sensitivity
62
How does PA improve cardiovascular health?
Enhances heart function, vascular compliance, autonomic balance, and lowers BP & HR
63
How does PA benefit metabolic health?
Improves insulin sensitivity, glucose uptake, lipid profile, and body composition
64
How does PA affect immune and brain function?
Boosts immune response, reduces stress, enhances cognitive function, and improves mental health
65
What % of NZ adults are physically active?
Fewer than 50% meet the ≥150 min/week of moderate PA guideline
66
What population groups in NZ show lower PA levels?
Pacific peoples, Asian peoples, and those in economically deprived areas
67
How does PA affect Coronary Heart Disease (CHD)?
Reduces mortality >25%; benefits pathogenesis, symptoms, quality of life
68
How does PA affect hypertension?
Reduces SBP/DBP both acutely and chronically; benefits similar to medications
69
What are the current PA recommendations in NZ (2024)?
- Sit less, move more
- ≥150 min moderate or ≥75 min vigorous PA/week
- Resistance training ≥2 times/week
- Progression is key, especially for inactive or older adults.
70
Why is PA said to follow the law of diminishing returns?
Gains plateau with high PA volumes; intensity may be more beneficial than volume
71
What is the difference between being inactive and sedentary?
- Inactive: Not meeting PA guidelines (~30 min MVPA/day)
- Sedentary: Prolonged sitting/reclining with <1.5 METS
- You can be both active and sedentary
72
Why should we care about sedentariness in modern society?
Because modern life minimizes daily muscular activity through transport, domestic tasks, and work that are tech-based and sitting-oriented
73
How many hours of sitting opportunities can occur in a typical day?
Around 15.5 hours, including transport, work, meals, screen time, etc.
74
What did Dempsey et al. (2014) find about sedentary time?
There is a huge amount of sedentary time in modern lifestyles
75
What did Salari et al. (2025) and Nambirahan et al. (2025) find about social media?
- ~20% of university students show social media addiction.
- Social media addiction is linked to lower physical activity levels
76
What does sitting do to the body at a physiological level?
Induces muscular, neuromuscular, and vascular inactivity (Hamilton et al., 2007)
77
Is standing better than sitting?
- Not necessarily: people may compensate with inactivity later (Mansoubi et al., 2015).
- Conflicting evidence on mortality impact (Pulsford et al., 2015).
- Standing may have better blood flow and lower mortality (Peddie et al., 2021; Katzmarzyk et al., 2014)
78
What study highlighted sedentariness as independent of physical inactivity?
Dunstan et al. (2010) showed increased mortality risk with more TV time, even after adjusting for exercise and other factors
79
What are the effects of just one day of sedentary behaviour?
- Reduced brain blood flow
- Impaired leg vascular function
- Poorer blood glucose and lipid regulation
- ↓ insulin sensitivity
- ↑ postprandial glucose and lipids, especially after fatty meals
