Aging
CNN Video Clips
Topic: "Is
Aging
Treatable?": Biology 8th Ed. CNN Ed 2004 (2:25)
An ongoing study is designed
to gauge the effect of drastic
caloric reduction on human aging. The study was inspired by the
results
of similar dietary restriction studies in primates. The animals
lived
longer and maintained more youthful hormone levels and immune
function.
What could explain these effects? With low caloric intake, cells
throughout the body seem to die more slowly and repair themselves
more
easily. Also, fat around the stomach increases the chances of
getting
cancer and heart disease. One participant in the human study, now
in
her forties, says she joined the National Calorie Study because
she is
interested in being a healthy senior. She has cut her caloric
intake,
and researchers will be monitoring how her body responds over the
course of a year. The worksheet includes the URL of a Why Files
feature
describing the primate studies on which the human trials are
based.
(Student worksheet provided on CD)
Topic: "Brain
Fitness": Biology
8th Ed. CNN Ed 2004 (2:16)
Cardiovascular exercise can
slow the loss of brain tissue
that is associated with aging. Researchers at the University of
Illinois studying the MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) results of
people over age 55 found a correlation between fitness level and
memory
loss. Certain brain areas were shown to deteriorate more slowly in
people who are more fit. New York University researchers found
that
glucose regulation is associated with memory function. In those
with
poor glucose regulation, the hippocampus, which is involved in
memory,
tends to be reduced in size. The worksheet includes the URL for
the
National Institute on Aging website. (Student worksheet provided
on CD)
Articles
In
Search
of the
Secrets of Aging.
1993.
National Institutes on Health & National Institute on
Aging.
NIH Publication.
The book
reviews topics in aging including genes that code for long life,
cell
senescence, physiological adaptations to aging, and biochemistry
of
aging. Large diagrams aid in lesson
acquisition,
especially related to telomere length and DNA damage and
repair.