The Disease Processes

life expectancy

average number of years of life remaining to a persona at a particular age

the _ has increased dramatically in the US over the past century; this is called the _ of America

life expectancy; Graying of America

what has increased life expectancy contributed to? what are some examples? (4)

• the prevalence of chronic diseases

1. obesity

2. cardiovascular diseases

3. type ii or lifestyle diabetes

4. cancers

what is the CDC?

centers for disease control — maintain mortality and morbidity rates, measure death and rates of illness overtime, work in disease prevention, crisis response, and guidance and research

what is mortality rate?

number of deaths that occur in a certain population group usually within one year

what is morbidity rates?

reflect illness in a given period

what is incidence?

the number of people newly diagnosed in a given period of time

what is prevelance?

total number of people with disease in a given period of time

what are risk factors?

lifestyle choices, environmental factors, and genetic factors

what are the most common major lifestyle risks? (3)

1. tobacco use/substance abuse

2. lack of physical activity

3. range of poor dietary habits

what are the top three leading causes of death in the US

1. heart disease

2. cancer

3. stroke

what is metabolic syndrome? what are the 5 major factors?

• a cluster of five medical conditions that together raise the risk of heart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes

1. visceral obesity

2. low HDL cholesterol

3. insulin resistance

4. hypertension

5. high triglycerides

by itself obesity is not _

considered a disease

some risk factors may play an actual role in _ while others _

causing diseases; are simple predictive

what have been some reasons for the increase in obesity? (3)

1. population growth

2. decreased physical activity

3. nutrition transition

obesity is a commonly observed characyeristic of nations as they begin to _

adopt a wester lifestyle

what are the two types of fat?

visceral and subcutaneous

what is visceral fat?

fat that is wrapped around the internal organs

visceral fat is strongly linked to _

metabolic disease and insulin resistance and an increased risk of death, even for people who have a normal body mass index

what is subcutaneous fat?

fat that lies just under the skin around the belly, thighs, and rear

you do not have to be obese to have _

visceral fat

what are lipocytes?

cells found in certain parts of the body which can store a lot of fat; expand in size until the fat is used for fuel

the inflammatory trigger in obesity is _ and caused by _

metabolic; excess high fat diets

how does the inflammatory response occur in obesity in the first place?

starting signals for traditional inflammatory response are caused by pathogens; with increased nutrient intake the levels of nutrients flooding the system may rise enough that the other flor stimulates pathogen sensing pathways

what are pathogens?

a molecule from a microbe, parasite, foreign body, or injured tissue that will engage a cell signaling pathway to initiate an immune response

what are the two most popular bacteria in the gut microbiome? how do these affect the body?

• bacteroidetes and firmicutes

• bacteroidetes: the good gut bacteria

• firmicutes: the bad gut microbes that negatively influence gluclose and fat metabolism

increased ratios of firmicutes to bacteroidetes have been correlated with what?

obesity and type ii diabetes

diabetes is the leading cause of what? (3)

1. kidney failure

2. lower limb amputations other than those caused by injury

3. new cases of blindness amound adults

the risk of developing type ii diabetes is influenced by what two factors?

• genetics

• obesity

what do insulin and glucagon do?

hormones that regulate blood glucose and energy storage that are produced by the pancreas

how does blood glucose fluctuate?

• blood sugar decreases after several hours of not eating — glucagon

• after a carb heavy meal blood glucose spikes — insulin

what is type ii diabetes?

the pancreas may produce insulin but the insulin requiring cells do not reponse to insulin in a normal way

what is coronary artery disease (CAD)?

heart disease or ischemic heart disease results from a complex process known as atherosclerosis (the hardening of the arteries)

what is atherosclerosis?

fatty deposits (plaques) of cholesterol and other cellular waste products build up in the inner linings of the arteries causing ischemia

what are the two sources of cholesterol?

• blood/serum cholesterol

• dietary cholesterol

what is blood/serum cholesterol?

cholesterol that circulates in the blood; needed for cell membrane and hormones to make vitamin D; produced in the liver; is a waxy substance; often confused with fat

what is dietary cholesterol?

comes from the food we eat specifically animal products

how is cholesterol transported?

through lipoproteins

what are lipoporteins?

a combination of protein and fat

what are the two types of lipoproteins? what is the difference?

• LDL (low density lipoproteins): more fat and less protein — the bad cholesterol connected to an increased risk of heart disease

• HDL (high density lipoproteins): more protein and less fat — the good cholesterol connected to a decreased risk of heart disease

what are 5 common misconceptions about cholesterol and fat?

1. using margarine instead of butter will lower cholesterol

2. thin people do no have to worry about cholesterol

3. if a label lists no cholesterol the product is automatically heart healthy

4. women do not need to worry about cholesterol

5. only middle aged people should have their cholesterol checked

what is stenosis

the abnormal narrowing of a channel in the body

what is ischemia

deprivation in vital cells — in the heart it can lead to injury and bring the arteries to be vulnerable to injury and tears

what is the general process of a heart attack?

1. can occur as one of two effects of atherosclerosis

2. the artery becomes completely blocked and ischemia becomes so extensive that oxygen bearing tissues around the heart begin to die

3. the plaque in the heart creates fissures/tears

4. blood clots stick to the tears to heal, causing a blood clot to form

5. a heart attack can then occur if the blood clot completely blocks the passage to the heart

premenopausal women are less prone to heart disease. why?

menstruation; ridding oneself of iron each month which helps lower the oxidation of cholesterol particles

what is oxidation? what is its effect on the body?

• a chemical process caused by the release of unstable particles known as oxygen free radicals that causes damage, inflammation, and affect the genetic materials in cells

what do oxygen free radicals oxidize?

LDLs leading to cholesterol build up which can lead to heart disease

what is inflammation?

the body’s natural response to protect against harm

what are the two types of inflammation? explain them.

• acute: swelling, heat, warmth, pain, immobility

• chronic: happens when the immune system stays mildly active for months or years instead of turning off after healing an injury

what are cytokines? what do they do in the body?

• small molecules released by cells in the blood that trigger activities

• make immune cells rush to sites of concern and activate inflammation

• work as half angels and half devils

  • angels: emergency signaling, aid cell communication, help avoid death from simple infections, stimulate movement

  • devils: cytokine storms can do significant damage to the body tissues and organs leading to death

whats going on with anti inflammatory diets?

• lack of evidence that these dieta actually reduce inflammation

• are often based in healthy habits

• omega 3 fatty acids are prevelant

what are free radicals?

molecules with an unpaired electron in search of an electron leading to the destruction of cells

what do free radicals do?

• deform and corrode cells

• chronic degenerative disorders

what vitamins work against free radicals

Vitamins E & C → precursors to vitamin a

free radicals are _ and are the price we pay for _

inescapable; eating and breathing in a world of oxygen

what are antioxidents?

prevent excess free radical information, control free radical levels, prevent further damage by oxidative stress

cancer can originate _

almost anywhere in the body

what are carcinomas

most common types of cancer; arise from cells that cover external and internal body and surfaces

what are sarcomas

cacers arising from cells in supporting tissues of the body such as bone, cartilage, fat, connective tissue, and muscle

what are lymphomas

cancers that arise in the lymph nodes and tissues of the body’s immune system

what are leukamias

cancers of immature blood cells that grow in the bone marrow and tend to accumulate in large numbers in the bloodstream

exposure to risk factors _

varies by geographic location; for example, stomach cancer higher in Japan and colon cancer higher in the US and then gradual change once living in these places

what is a tumor

a group of cancerous cells

only a few _ that infect human cells can actually cause cancer; for example

• viruses

• helicobacter pylori (H-pylori): causes stomach ulcers and can lead to stomach cancer

chemicals from _, _, _, and _ can cause cancer

smoking, radiation, viruses, and genetics

how to chemicals and radiation act

by damaging genes and allowing viruses to introduce their own genes into cells and consequently hereditary can pass on these genes in cells

chances of developing cancer increase as _

a person gets older

are we actually in a cancer epidemic?

no; people are living longer and as the population as a whole is aging more cancer arises

what are the three stages of cancer development

• initiation: seeds planted grow in the soil

• promotion: grass starts to grow

• progression: grass gets completely out of control and invades areas

what are carcinogens

things that implant the seeds that form cancer

what are 3 groups of foods that form the cancer causing chemicals HCA and PHA when grilled or blackened?

• meats

• poultry

• fish/shellfish

when proteins in flesh are heated to brown and black _ increase; these are _ that work by _

HCAs; carcinogens; damaging DNA initiating cancer

where can PHAs come from

• fat flares — charring

processed meats have been linked to what kind of cancer

colorectal

the term superfood is more of a _ than a scientific term

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