“Life expectancy for both men and women has continued to rise. In 2002, life expectancy at birth for females born in the UK was 81 years, compared with 76 years for males. This contrasts with 49 and 45 years respectively at the turn of the last century in 1901.” http://www.statistics.gov.uk/cci/nugget.asp?id=881
I am now going to describe the physical changes which an individual may experience during the ageing process. As people grow older they will notice physical change begin to happen to their body, everybody’s experience of ageing is different. Ageing can involve many physical changes. Some examples as to what an individual may experience throughout the ageing process are;
- Joints become stiffer and may become painful as the cartilage on the bone ends become thinner
- Hair loses pigmentation and starts to go grey, as well as becoming thinner
- Skin becomes wrinkled due to loss of elasticity
- Bones become much more brittle and are therefore more likely to fracture
- An individual may start to lose height because the cartilage that separates the vertebrae in the backbone becomes compressed. The spine may also become more rounded
- Muscles become much weaker
- Blood pressure often rises
- The heart is less efficient at pumping blood around the body
- Breathing can become less efficient because respiratory muscles (intercostal muscles) are much weaker
- Senses like taste and smell begin to deteriorate
- There may be an increase in hair growth. E.g. facial hair
- Teeth and gums are much softer
- There may be a risk of an individual suffering from varicose veins
- Vision and hearing may become impaired
- There may be an increased risk of hypothermia as the skin is very thin and sensitive. Etc
Individuals, at some point during their life will experience some of these physical changes related to the ageing process as it is just part of life, like the onset of puberty was the start of becoming an adult. It is a predictable life event as people know it is going to happen as part of the human life span. Life factors like lifestyle however can influence how the ageing process affects an individual. For example, if an individual ate healthily and did regular exercise they will more than likely to live longer than somebody that does not do exercise, and smokes everyday as their body will be in a much healthier condition. This may delay the ageing process because if the individual exercises, their muscles for instance will still be strong and they will therefore have much more energy and both the heart and lungs can still work efficiently. An individual that leads a healthy lifestyle has the potential to live until they are in their nineties, whereas if an individual smokes everyday and doesn’t take into account what they are eating they are likely to die much younger. Life expectancy is defined as; “the average number of years of life remaining at a given age. It is the average expected lifespan of an individual.” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Life_expectancy
These statistics taken from; http://www.bio-medicine.org/medicine-news/Unhealthy-Diet-Reduces-Life-Expectancy-10717-1/ show the number or deaths amongst individuals as a result of a poor diet;
“In Netherlands, every year about 13,000 deaths due to diabetes, cardiovascular disease and cancer occurs as a result of poor diets. In the other hand obesity claims 7,000 lives by causing heart disease and cancer – a study finds.”
“Life expectancy changes as one gets older. By the time a child reaches their first year, their chances of living longer increase. By the time of late adulthood, ones chances of survival to a very old age are quite good. For example, although the life expectancy from birth for all people in the United States is 77.7 years, those who live to age 65 will have an average of almost 18 additional years left to live, making their life expectancy almost 83 years.” http://geography.about.com/od/populationgeography/a/lifeexpectancy.htm
The ageing process is not only a result of life factors like lifestyle, scientists believe that it is because the cells within our bodies start to make damaged and imperfect copies of cells as oppose to new and repaired ones. This is happens when a genetically programmed limit of cell renewal has been reached, which is basically when the body cannot repair or make any new body cells anymore. This limit is known as the ‘Hayflick limit’, named after the biologist who measured the limits of cell regeneration.
“The Hayflick Limit Theory of Aging (so called after its discoverer Dr. Leonard Hayflick) suggests that the human cell is limited in the number of times it can divide. Working with Dr. Moorehead in 1961, Dr. Hayflick theorised that the human cells ability to divide is limited to approximately 50-times, after which they simply stop dividing (and hence die).”
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20070609075445AAmMEda
The ageing process can have a significant effect on the vital body organs within the body and therefore affects the way in which the body systems work. I am now going to discuss the physical changes on the cardiovascular system, respiratory system, nervous system and the musco-skeletal system, which are some of the major body systems in our body that keeps us alive.
The physical changes in the cardiovascular system due to ageing
There are many physical changes in the cardiovascular system as a result of ageing. The cardiovascular system, also known as the circulatory system is one of the most important body systems within the body. It is the responsibility of this system to transport blood around the body to all the muscles where the cells require the energy (nutrients, oxygen etc) to enable them to work efficiently. The circulatory system becomes less efficient with age, causing possible difficulties for the individual. For example, if the cardiovascular system was not working as well then this may mean that the individual may find it difficult to climb the stairs, which they would not have found difficult in earlier years. If the cardiovascular system is not working as efficiently then this can increase the risk of a stroke or a heart attack as a result of the high demand on the heart, which does not have the energy to perform as strongly and efficiently as it could when it was a strong muscle.
It is common that throughout the ageing process older people may develop
Mainly the loss of elasticity in the walls of veins and arteries, the accumulation of fat deposits, the loss of muscular tone and speed of reaction of the heart among other. However, the right diet and exercise may diminish and delay most effects
The Importance of Lifestyle
Our health, well-being and life expectancy may be influenced by adjustment to our lifestyle. The factors we can correct directly are diet, exercise, smoking, alcohol intake and the degree to which we expose ourselves to pollutants. Sleep, fluid intake, and excessive stress effect our rate of ageing. There is a well-known list of life events which are related to stress. High on the list are the deaths of a partner or child, loss or change of a job, financial crises and major illness.
Longevity relates to a sense of purpose and meaning in life, commitment within a community and a quality of independent mindedness. In many respects the present cohort of 50 and 60 year olds represent a pioneer group. They grew up in the post war years when there was a new spirit of freedom and they have retained a determination to find purpose in the later years of their life. They represent a significantly large section of the community and are, therefore, increasingly influential in economic terms.
Lifestyle factors
We can control some aspects of the process
Ageing isn't all down to our genes. We can control some aspects of the process.
The lifestyle choices we make are important. We can eat food that burdens our bodies with saturated fats, for example, or we can eat food that's high in natural antioxidants to aid the body's defences.
We can exercise so our natural systems for renewal and repair keep our muscles, lungs and blood circulatory system in good shape, and we can stretch our minds to reinforce the networks of connection between brain cells.
