Essay On Sarcopenia

Why do Americans overeat to the point of becoming obese and what are the effects on the body? As the world looks at society today, clearly Americans have an issue with being overweight and becoming obese especially compared with other countries. “Approximately 17% (or 12.5 million) of children and adolescents aged 2—19 years are obese,” and “more than one-third of U.S. adults (35.7%) are obese” (Centers of Disease Control and Prevention, 2013, Data and Statistics).

In article one Maia Szalavitz, wrote an article titled, “Viewpoint: Defining Obesity as a Disease May do More Harm Than Good.” She is a neuroscience journalist from Time Magazine, who talked about the harmful effect classifying obesity will have on one’s life, as well as others around them. In article two Dr. Keith Ablow’s article is called, “Obesity is not a Disease- and Neither is Alcoholism.” He is a psychiatrist and a member of the Fox Medical A-Team who talked about the solution to obesity, may be as simple as raising someone’s self-esteem. Both these articles talk why one should not classify obesity as a disease, but only one talks about the solution to solve the problem of obesity. Even though Szalavitz and Ablow are similarly matched rhetorically by taking a world-wide problem and discussing the issue of classifying it as a disease; Ablow is more rhetorically effective, because he uses more examples and evidence from different sources to back up his reasoning.

I have enjoyed reading your post, Laney. As you have stated, the musculoskeletal system goes through many changes due to aging. As we age, we lose muscle mass and bone density. Sarcopenia is one of the most common age related conditions that affect the musculoskeletal system. Sarcopenia refers to the decline in muscle mass that is related to aging. This condition can lead to weakness of the muscles and decreased tolerance to exercising. The lost muscle mass is usually replaced by fatty tissue. This leads to falls and unstable gait. Therefore, a teaching plan for the elderly should include information about the importance of physical activity. The teaching plan should also include information about adequate intake of calcium and vitamin D to

Gastroschisis is a birth defect that prevents an infant’s abdominal wall from closing properly causing the intestines to stick out of a hole next to the umbilical cord1. Other abdominal organs may protrude out of the abdominal cavity as well, including the stomach and liver, and lack covering from the peritoneal membrane2. It is believed that gastroschisis takes place between the 4th and 8th week of development of the fetus2. Due to the lack of protective covering, the protruding intestines may become inflamed due to contact with amniotic fluid2. According to the CDC, almost 2000 babies a year are born in the United States with this abdominal wall defect3. Although the cause for gastrochisis is not clear, it is found to be most prevalent among mothers who smoke, who are younger than 20, or who are Hispanic among other factors2-5. The CDC states that the frequency of gastroschisis is increasing in the United States and the rates have doubled among African American Mothers4.Due to the nutrition-related complications associated with gastroschisis, it is important to review current research to inform better feeding practices.

As humans grow older, both muscle mass and bone density decrease. This deterioration of muscle mass, also known as sarcopenia, is often accompanied by a loss of function and strength. This significant loss of muscle that occurs with aging can impair functional ability for the elder population, which can include everyday tasks such as opening a jar, walking down stairs, or bending down to pick an item up. The most practical approach to combat deteriorated muscles is to incorporate some type of strength or resistance training into the daily schedule. One of the strength methods tested was explosive-type heavy resistance training, which may alter kinetics and neuromuscular activity during stair ascent in elderly women (Holsgaard-Larsen, Caserotti,

Obesity is a common issue in the older population, but it tends to decrease in extreme old age. As you age, decreased physical activity and decreased energy expenditure leads to fat accumulation. After age 65, muscle mass begins to diminish. If calorie intake continues at the same rate while the muscle mass decreases, the older person will most likely experience fat weight gain (Newman, 2009). The focus of treatment for the elderly population should be on reduction of intra-abdominal fat and preserve muscle mass and strength (Newman, 2009).

For the past seven years I have seen my great-grandmother struggle with mobility. She has a weak heart with two valves that are very weak. This cause for her to have poor blood flow to her legs. She has developed sores that cause throbbing pain with bloody discharge. She struggles to walk and care for herself every day. Yet she does not give up and refuses to use assisted living.

Aging processing leads to physiological changes in the body composition (Yu et al., 2014). Specifically, there is a decline in the muscle mass. This loss of muscle mass has been illustrated to be the main factor of strength reduction in aging (Goodpaster et al., 2006). From the age of 50 to 70 years, the reduction of muscle mass is about 8% per decade. After that, the muscle mass loss is approximately increased to be about 15% per decade (Yu et al., 2014). The loss of muscle mass and strength throughout aging is called sarcopenia (Yu et al., 2014). Sarcopenia is often linked to frailty and bone

“Metabolism is the set of chemical reactions that happen in living organisms to maintain life. These processes allow organisms to grow and reproduce, maintain their structures, and respond to their environments” (Metabolism). Metabolism breaks down the food that we eat, transforming it into energy for our bodies. Metabolism is broken down into two categories Anabolism and Catabolism, which help aid in the chemical reaction process. Specific proteins in the body control the chemical reactions of metabolism, and each chemical reaction is coordinated with other body functions (Dowshen). Metabolism is a constant process that begins when we're born and ends when we die. It is a vital process for all life not just humans, and

Sarcopenia can be defined as the age-related loss of muscle mass, strength and function (Waters, Baumgartner & Garry 2000; Vandervoort & Symons 2001). Although there is no specific level of lean body mass or muscle mass at which one can say sarcopenia is present (Roubenoff 2001), any loss of muscle mass is of importance because there is a strong relationship between muscle mass and strength (Roth, Ferrell & Hurley 2000). Sarcopenia appears to begin in the fourth decade of life and accelerates after the age of approximately 75 years (Waters, Baumgartner & Garry 2000). With aging and inactivity, the most atrophy is seen in the fast twitch (FT) fibers which are recruited during high-intensity, anaerobic movements. Although sarcopenia is mostly seen in physically inactive individuals, it is also evident in individuals who remain physically active throughout their lives. This finding suggests that physical inactivity is not the only contributing factor to sarcopenia. Current research is finding that the development of sarcopenia is a multifactorial process. Many factors, including physical inactivity, motor-unit remodeling, decreased hormone levels, and decreased protein synthesis, may all contribute to sarcopenia. Fortunately, sarcopenia is partly reversible with appropriate exercise interventions. This article will focus on the current perspectives of sarcopenia and conclude with the importance of resistance training in preventing it.

Mobility is essential for general independence as well as ensuring good health and quality of life (QoL) (Michelle, Jim, Jennifer, Sjaanie, & Judith, 2006). In old age, muscle weakness due to sarcopenia is responsible for the occurrences of frailty and important disability (Fried, et al., 2001). Especially in institutionalised elderly persons, muscle strength can deteriorate to a point where it becomes critical for independence of transfers and walking. There is strong evidence that in healthy older persons major gains in muscle strength can be obtained by resistance exercises (Latham, Bennett, Stretton, & Anderson, 2004). The ability to walk for a short distance and the grip strength are quick and inexpensive measure of physical function, and are important components of quality of life, since it reflects the capacity to undertake day-today activities. The six-minute walk distance test (6MWD) was developed by (Balke, 1963), to evaluate functional capacity like cardiovascular or pulmonary disease.

Blood circulation is vital to the body and may also contribute to the pathology. Aging associated with changes in microcirculation and structure of the vascular endothelium (Tommy et al., 2011) decrease in vascular endothelial functions (Burton et al., 2011), and a decrease in exercise-induced blood flow which is partly resulted from an age-related reduction in vasodilation capacity. (Degens, 1998).

Sarcopenia (low muscle mass and/or strength) and falls risk are not commonly examined by clinicians and health care providers to improve the prognosis of fracture at any site. It has been reported that sarcopenia is associated with the incidence of having falls therefore addition of these parameters in FRAX tool will aid the diagnosis of people at high risk of fracture.

The stomach is an expandable muscular sac that is capable of holding 2-4 liters of food and liquids and breaks them down with the use of pepsinogen, an inactive form pepsin, a protein-digesting enzyme. If the stomach was damaged or dysfunctional, then it would be harder to gradually release food into the small intestine at a rate suitable for proper digestion and absorption and to digest the food because it is not as small or digested because the stomach also assists in the mechanical and chemical breakdown of the food as well as the killing of harmful bacteria due to the high acidic environment due to the hydrochloric acid. (Audesirk, T., & Audesirk, G. (1999). Retrieved November 21, 2015 from Chapter 29: Nutrition and Digestion. In Biology:

Excess belly fat negatively affects your appearance and can jeopardize your health, since it's linked to health conditions, such as heart disease and type-2 diabetes. (See References 1) Spot reducing belly fat doesn't work; the only way to slim your midsection, is by losing weight from your entire body. (See References 2) In addition to a sensible diet, exercise can help you accomplish this. Even when you can't get to the gym, you can still exercise while watching TV.