Homework #5 Assignment: Muscles and the Muscular System
The first question asks you to voice your opinion about anabolic steroid use so that you can begin the discussion immediately without completing your reading.
Aging is just a natural part of life. Unfortunately, as we age our bodies do not look or function as well as they use to. Many try to counteract the effects of aging through sensible modifications in their diet, exercise, and rest while others may seek renewed health and vigor through the use of “all natural” supplements or other, more extreme regimens.
To begin, please watch the following short video presentation: https://www(dot)youtube(dot)com/watch?v=2QBC0kDLkBU&feature=youtu.be 69 year old man finds the fountain of youth. Then share your ideas about the following based on your opinion.
Beginning is our teen years, the human body undergoes great periods of growth, most of which is directed by hormones. These hormones naturally decline however, as we reach adult maturity. “Body image” can become a near obsession for some throughout life, even well into one’s later years. In the program presented in the video, the effects of aging are managed by exercise supplemented by a prescribed combination of anabolic steroids and human growth hormone (HGH).
1. If these programs are indeed medically managed and effective, should the laws regulating steroid and hormone therapies be lifted? Is this a responsible choice, in your opinion? Or has vanity simply trumped sensibility?
For the second part of this discussion, let’s apply what you have learned about the muscular system from the textbook readings and your own research. Be sure to properly cite your resources.
In this video example we have seen how HGH and anabolic steroids have been used to offset the physical effects of aging on the muscular system. If we apply the principals of Davis’s Law to this scenario, we realize that in even when hormone replacement or supplementation is used, the physical stimulus of exercise must also be present. For this discussion, please explain the processes of muscular atrophy versus hypertrophy.
2. How does aging affect muscular size and strength?
3. What factors are in play that determines these effects?
4. What is the safest proven method to offset the effects of aging on the muscular system?
In addition to the aging process, there are many diseases and disorders of the muscular system that can affect muscular function and/or development.
5. Using your text and other resources, please identify several of these processes. Be sure that your discussion explains how each of these conditions affects the proper function of the muscular system.
NOW Read the following questions and briefly describe your thoughts on the answer and how you come to that answer. This activity is intended to allow you to think about what you have learned and how you can apply it to problems or situations in the real world.
6. How would you explain muscle cell contraction were there no T tubules?
7. How would you design the skeletal muscle differently if there were no epimysium, perimysium, or endomysium?
8. If skeletal muscle fibers could store large quantities of adenosine triphosphate (ATP), how would you explain the change, if any, in our ability to run at top speed for a distance (or to perform any anaerobic exercise)?
MUSCLES
Name
Institution:
Date:
Muscles
1
The laws managing steroid and hormone therapies shouldn’t be lifted as thy would bring more harm than good unto the public. If these laws and regulations are lifted, steroids and HGH would be overly abused and lead to grave side effects. The result would be widespread abuse since not everyone needs them but many people want them. Steroids and hormones should only be administered under the prescription of the doctor after careful diagnosis and assessment.
In my opinion, it is not a responsible choice to turn to hormone therapies and steroid use. They have grave side effects like cancer among others. They can also lead to deformities and can even destroy the body image many people try to gain by using them. The human body is bound to undergo some changes of development throughout the life of a person and these steroids and growth hormones interfere with the natural course of development which is not only unnecessary but also dangerous.
2
As aging takes a toll on an individual, hormones in the body that are responsible for muscle growth and development are produced at a slower rate. The body becomes slower at producing muscle and repairing worn out muscle fibers and muscle tissue. Eventually, the muscle size decreases significantly and the force they can produce reduces. Over time, the muscle mass further reduces if not well managed and leads to significant loss of strength.
3
The key factor in the loss of body strength and reduction of muscle size is sarcopenia. It is a natural process that is inevitable at adulthood whereby the muscle tissue reduces in mass and muscle fibers decrease. Hormones are the key factors that lead to loss of strength and muscle size. The ratio of fat and connective tissue relative to muscle tissue increases thus having more fat than muscle. Muscle fibers also reduce significantly and the produce less force.
4
A good diet is key to manage the effects of aging. It replenishes the body with all adequate nutrients, vitamins for repairing worn tissue and generating new muscle tissue. A good diet also reduces fat accumulation in the body that inhibits muscle growth. A poor diet increases the aging rate in a muscular system and speeds up the aging process. A good exercise is also key to mitigate the inevitable effects of aging CITATION Akh15 \l 1033 (Farooqui & Farooqui, 2015). Exercises increase blood flow to ...