The aging process affects various vital parts of our body.
Brain: Brain loses cells and mass ON AGING. While a normal brain weighs around three pounds at age 20 it may weight as much as 10% lower by age 90. The neural network (i.e.) the connections between brain cells could also be lesser. There is a diminished mental capacity. The ventricles in the brain which are filled with fluids get larger. There is a marked fading of memory in normal people in their fifties. There is an increasing chance of brain degenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s striking after the age of 60.
Eye sight: There is an increased difficulty in seeing nearby objects in one’s forties. There is a gradual ability to see fine details. By the age of 50, lifelong thickening of the lens causes a noticeable decrease in night vision and ability to focus on close objects. Glare, low levels of illumination, and less ability to discern moving objects cause vision problems. Cataracts begin to develop and the likelihood of macular degeneration (caused in part by hardening of the arteries within the eyeball) increases.
Hearing: The sense of hearing begins to decline about age 20 and worsens faster in adult men than in women. There is a decreased ability to hear higher frequencies as individuals get older.
Sense of smell and taste declines slowly at the age of 45 and faster after the age of 65.
There is a considerable drop in maximum breathing capacity between age 20 and 70 due to chest wall constriction. This prevents the lungs from completely filling on inhalation or emptying on exhalation. As a result, a greater quantity of air is left in lungs after each breath, leading to decreased aerobic capacity.
The aging process affects almost all the organs and tissues of our body
Thymus Gland produces hhormones that stimulate the production of certain infection-fighting cells. This gland bbegins to shrink at puberty, causing immune system response to slowly decline as aging sets in our body.
There is gradual deterioration of immune System. The functioning population of T cells (white blood cells) declines with age. Also, T cells subjected to trauma take longer to renew in the elderly.
Bones are living systems and are constantly being remodeled (torn down and rebuilt). After about age 35, and more in women than men, the forces of breakdown begin to overtake the rebuilding processes as bones become porous and brittle, leaving an individual vulnerable to fractures. Women are prone to diseases like osteoporoses with aging. In many elderly, joints begin to wear down, get stiff, and deteriorate. Cartilage melts away, causing bones to brush against each other unprotected, leading to arthritis.
Muscles/Fat: There is a rapid decline of muscle mass by as much as 25% between the ages of 30 and 70, if adequate exercise is not maintained. The body redistributes fat with age, from just underneath the skin to deeper areas of the body. In women fat is stored in the hips and thighs and in men it is stored in the abdominal area. The hand-grip strength of a 75-year-old is only about much less than that of a 30-year-old.
There is generally no decline in output since the heart is able to pump more efficiently, despite the fact the heart grows slightly larger with age. Many people see a 20% decline in maximum rate during exercise after age 40, because the heart becomes less responsive to stimulation from the nervous system. The heart uses less oxygen as we age. In men, a 1% decline with each year of life can be expected.
Tags: Effects Of Aging
