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Related Concept Videos

The Effect of Aging on Tissues01:19

The Effect of Aging on Tissues

Several body functions deteriorate with age. The external signs of aging are easily identifiable. For example, the skin becomes dry, less elastic, and thins out, forming wrinkles. The skin of the face begins to appear looser due to a decrease in the levels of elastic and collagen fibers in the connective tissue. Additionally, melanin production in the hair follicle decreases with age, resulting in gray hair. Moreover, the senses of sight and hearing decline, so glasses and hearing aids may...
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Aging and its effect on bone remodeling is the most common cause of bone disorders. In young and healthy people, bone deposition and resorption happen at an equal rate to maintain optimal bone health.
Bone deposition is also affected by the levels of sex hormones like estrogen and testosterone that promote osteoblast activity and bone matrix synthesis. When the level of these hormones decreases due to aging, it causes a reduction in bone deposition. As a result, bone resorption by osteoclasts...
Pharmacokinetics in Geriatric Patients: Effect of Age on Drug Distribution01:00

Pharmacokinetics in Geriatric Patients: Effect of Age on Drug Distribution

Drug distribution in the human body is influenced by several factors, including plasma protein concentration, body composition, blood flow, tissue-protein concentration, and tissue fluid pH. Among these, changes in plasma protein concentration and body composition due to aging significantly affect how drugs are distributed within the body. Specifically, aging is associated with a decrease in albumin levels by about 10% and an increase in α1-acid glycoprotein levels. These alterations are not...
Aging01:26

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Aging is a complex biological phenomenon influenced by various processes that affect cellular and systemic functions. Several prominent theories attempt to explain its mechanisms, highlighting cellular limitations, oxidative damage, and hormonal changes as central factors in aging.
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Changes in the Appendicular Skeleton with Age01:09

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The upper and lower limb initially develops as a small bulge called a limb bud, which appears on the lateral side of the early embryo. The upper limb bud appears near the end of the fourth week of development, with the lower limb bud appearing shortly after.
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Age-related pharmacokinetic changes are extensively documented, but understanding age-related pharmacodynamic alterations is relatively limited. This knowledge gap can be partly attributed to the complexity of developing appropriate measures of drug responses compared to bioanalytical methods for determining drug concentrations.Most information regarding age-related differences in human pharmacodynamics originates from cross-sectional studies. However, these studies assume that observed mean...

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Non-invasive Skeletal Muscle Quantification in Small Animals Using Micro-computed Tomography
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Body composition variations in ageing.

Roberto Buffa1, Giovanni U Floris, Paolo F Putzu

  • 1University of Cagliari, Department of Experimental Biology, Cagliari, Italy.

Collegium Antropologicum
|June 14, 2011
PubMed
Summary

Aging causes significant body composition changes, including loss of fat-free mass and muscle. These shifts increase malnutrition and disability risks in older adults, highlighting the need for better understanding.

Area of Science:

  • Gerontology
  • Human Physiology
  • Body Composition Analysis

Background:

  • Age-related physiological variations affect both fat-free mass (FFM) and fat mass (FM).
  • These body composition changes in the elderly increase risks of malnutrition and disability.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the current knowledge on body composition changes in the aging population.
  • To define the qualitative and quantitative aspects of age-related body composition variations.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review of studies on body composition in the aged population.
  • Analysis of qualitative patterns and quantitative aspects of physiological variations.

Main Results:

  • Qualitative variations in body composition in old age are well-defined, involving decreased FFM (muscle, bone, water) and subcutaneous fat.

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  • Quantitative aspects like onset, rate, and intensity of these variations remain unclear due to multifactorial aging, varied assessment techniques, and limited data.

    • Conclusions:

    • Aging significantly alters body composition, primarily through FFM loss, posing health risks.
    • Further research is needed to quantitatively define age-related body composition changes for better interventions.