What diseases and conditions are less likely in people who exercise every day?
People who exercise are more likely to have lower blood pressure, stronger hearts and lungs, and a reduced risk for the development of almost every disease, including depression, diabetes, osteoporosis, heart disease, arthritis, and cancer.
What changes have occured in adult exercise habits over recent decades ?
Adults do not move their legs, arms, or even hands as much as adults did a century ago. Sitting for long hours correlates with almost every unhealthy condition, especially heart disease and diabetes.
Why does abuse of prescription drugs increase in adulthood?
One reason is that such drugs are first given by a doctor to reduce pain, insomnia, or psychological distress. That makes it harder for adults to recognize the early signs of addiction, and thus some seek more prescriptions rather than trying to quit.
What are the trends in cigarette smoking in North America?
In the United States, men have been quitting smoking for decades, which has decreased male lung cancer deaths. While men were quitting smoking, however, the number of women who smoke increased, which has increased female lung cancer rates. Fortunately, ci
What gender differences are apparent in rates of cigarette smoking?
Recent data has shown that both sexes have decreased smoking but that fewer women have quit. Fifty years ago, five times as many U.S. men as women died of lung cancer. But because of cohort changes in when men and women started smoking, lung cancer now ki
How does the relationship between dose and health differ for tobacco and alcohol?
Every bit of exposure to cigarette smoke makes cancer, heart disease, strokes, and emphysema more likely. No such linear harm results from drinking alcohol; in fact, some research reports that alcohol in moderation can be beneficial. Excessive drinking is
Who is most likely to be harmed by alcohol abuse?
The risk of accidental death while drunk is most common among young men; law enforcement has cut their drunk-driving rate in half. However, ongoing harm to families is more prevalent when men or women who are addicted to alcohol are middle-aged parents.
What factors (food - and nonfood -related) affect the rate of obesity?
Too much meat, fat, and sugar and too little fiber are the main dietary culprits in the rate of obesity. Inadequate physical activity also affects the rate of obesity. Less than 50 percent of U.S. adults report that they engage in at least 20 minutes of d
What are the consequences of obesity, in the United States and elsewhere?
Obesity increases the risk of almost every disease. Consider one example, Type 2 diabetes is increasing worldwide, causing eye, heart, and foot problems as well as early death.
What are the benefits of the Mediterranean diet?
the Mediterranean diet, which is high in fiber and healthy fats, protects against heart disease without adding weight
Who is most likely to benefit from or be harmed by surgery to reduce obesity?
While the rate of complications is high for surgery, the greatest benefits seem to occur for people with diabetes: 70 percent find that their diabetes disappears, usually not to return.
How are people afected by the visible changes in the skin between ages 25 and 65?
Visible changes in skin becomes troubling to people, who associate youth with sexual attractiveness.
How does the ability to move change with age?
Muscles atrophy, joints lose flexibility, stiffness appears, bending is harder, balance more difficult. Rising from sitting, twisting in a dance, hopping on one foot, or even walking "with a spring in your step" is not easy. A strained back, neck, or othe
How does the body shape change between 25 and 65?
The body changes shape between ages 25 and 65. A "middle-age spread" increases weight circumference, pockets of fat settle on the abdomen, the upper arms, the buttocks, and the chin, people do not stand as straight and tall as they once did.
What is the relationship between cancer and aging?
Most cancers are affected by the health habits that increase allostatic load
What is the relationship between income,education, and disease in adulthood?
Money and education protect health, but it is not clear whether income or education is the main reason. Perhaps education teaches healthy habits. Or perhaps higher income allows access to better medical care as well as a home far from pollution and crime.
How are couples affected by the changes in sexual responsiveness with age?
Sexual arousal occurs more slowly with age, and orgasm takes longer. For some couples, these slowdowns are counterbalanced by reduced anxiety and better communication, as partners become more familiar with their own bodies and those of their mates. Distre
What are the causes of infertility?
As with men, women's fertility is affected by anything that impairs physical functioning�including disease, smoking, sedentary behavior, extreme dieting, and obesity. Many infertile women do not realize they have pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), which c
How easy or difficult is the process of artificial reproductive technology?
The ART process of in vitro fertilization (IVF) is more complicated than a typical conception. The woman must take hormones to increase the number of fully developed ova, and the man must ejaculate into a receptacle. Then surgeons remove several ova from
What are the sex differences in the decline of sex hormones with age?
In women, the level of sex hormones circulating in the bloodstream declines suddenly, while the decline is gradual for men.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of menopause?
Disadvantages are that sexual desire and frequency of intercourse decrease, and erratic moods and depression may increase. Relief that menstruation and the possibility of pregnancy have ended is among the advantages
How is the brain affected by aging during adulthood?
Like every other part of the body, the brain slows down with age. Neurons take longer to fire, and messages sent from the axon of one neuron are not picked up as quickly by the dendrites of other neurons. Reaction time lengthens.
How successful have neuroscientists been in finding g?
Many neuroscientists search for genetic underpinnings of intellectual capacity, although they have not yet succeeded in finding g. Some aspects of brain function, particularly in the prefrontal cortex, hold promise. Many other scientists also seek one com
What are the age - related differences in fluid and crystallized intelligence?
Crystallized intelligence increases with age, while fluid intelligence declines.
Why would someone want greater fluid intelligence than crystallized intelligence?
Fluid intelligence is quick and flexible, allowing people to learn anything, even things that are unfamiliar and unconnected to what they already know. People high in fluid intelligence can draw inferences, understand relationships between concepts, and r
Why would someone want greater crystallized intelligence than fluid intelligence?
Crystallized intelligence is the accumulation of facts, information, and knowledge as a result of education and experience. Intelligent adults read widely, think deeply, and remember what they learn, so their achievement reflects their aptitude. Greater v
When would analytic intelligence be particularly useful?
Analytic strengths are valuable in emerging adulthood, particularly in college, in graduate school, and in job training.
How might cognitive artifacts affect the economic wealth of a nation?
Educated people are better able to use the cognitive artifacts of their society to advance their own intelligence. Then they develop more cognitive artifacts, and the whole community benefits. For instance, most developed nations provide free preschool an