Lesson 2.1: What Affects Homeostasis?

Recall that homeostasis means the ability of the body to maintain an internal balance.  How does your body maintain a balance when you eat too much, exercise hard, or sleep too much?  What are some things that can happen when you do things, like eating too much fat, to put your body at risk?  There are many things that people do, or don't do, that are risky in terms of health.  Diet, exercise, and drugs are just a few important lifestyle choices that are controllable.  What are the health risks involved?  Read pages 221 and 222 in your textbook to find the answers to these questions.

Question 1. Which two systems work together to maintain blood sugar levels?

Question 2. What other three levels do these two systems also work together to maintain?

Question 3. What three lifestyle choices interfere with the balance of the body systems?

Question 4. What is a factor that affects homeostasis that you cannot control?

Question 5. What are three things you can do to reduce your risk factors?

Question 6. Figure11.5 shows a picture of an eye that has a ruptured blood vessel.  What is the likely cause of this problem?  What food contributes to this "silent killer"?  Why is it called "the silent killer"?

Question 7. What are the five health risks that are described in Table 11.6?

Question 8. Which of the five health risk factors can result in heart disease?

 

Check your answers with those that follow.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Answers to Questions:

Question 1. Which two systems work together to maintain blood sugar levels?

The digestive and circulatory systems work together to maintain blood sugar levels.

Question 2. What other three levels do these two systems also work together to maintain?

The digestive and circulatory systems also work together to maintain water balance, enzyme levels, and waste product levels.

Question 3. What three lifestyle choices interfere with the balance of the body systems?

Three lifestyle choices that interfere with the balance of the body systems are poor level and quality of nutrient intake, lack of exercise and sleep, and smoking.

Question 4. What is a factor that affects homeostasis that you cannot control?

Genetics, factors that you inherit from your parents, affect homeostasis and are beyond your control.

Question 5. What are three things you can do to reduce your risk factors?

You can:

  • stop doing whatever puts you at risk

  • reduce other risk factors if you have genetic risks

  • seek the advice of a health-care provider to counsel you about making some positive changes

Question 6. Figure11.5 shows a picture of an eye that has a ruptured blood vessel.  What is the likely cause of this problem?  What food contributes to this "silent killer"?  Why is it called "the silent killer"?

The likely cause of this problem of a ruptured blood vessel in the eye is high blood pressure.  Eating too much salt contributes to this problem.  It is called the silent killer because there are no symptoms (nothing hurts or feels different) when you have high blood pressure.

Question 7. What are the five health risks that are described in Table 11.6?

The five health risks that are described in Table 11.6 are:

  • Diet high in cholesterol and fats

  • Obesity

  • Smoking

  • Drugs

  • Lack of exercise

Question 8. Which of the five health risk factors can result in heart disease?

All five health risk factors can result in heart disease.

 


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