Lifestyle, Health and Risk

1.1 Understand why many animals have a heart and circulation (mass transport to overcome
limitations of diffusion in meeting the requirements of organisms).

Why do animals have a circulatory system? [6]

 To overcome the limitations of diffusion

 Because they have a small surface area to volume ratio
 Diffusion would be too slow
 For mass flow of oxygen to cells around the body
 For fast movement of blood to cells

How does the heart circulatory system transport oxygen and remove carbon dioxide? [2]

 The heart pumps blood long distances

 At high pressures
 It has a double circulatory system

Explain why a mammalian heart is divided into a right and left side [3]

 To separate oxygenated and deoxygenated blood

 There are different pressures to be maintained. The left side is under higher pressure than
the right side since it carries blood to the body cells
 It allows mass flow of oxygen to body cells

Describe the structure of the heart and relate it to it’s function [5]

 2 upper chambers called atria and 2 lower chambers called ventricles

 The aorta is an artery that carries oxygenated blood away from the left ventricle to the body
cells
 The pulmonary artery located on the right side of the heart carries deoxygenated blood to
the lungs
 The vena cava located on the right returns deoxygenated blood from the body
 The pulmonary vein returns oxygenated blood from the lungs

1.2 Understand the importance of water as a solvent in transport, including its dipole nature

Explain how the dipole nature of water is essential for living organisms [4]

 Water forms hydrogen bonds with other water molecules

 This makes it cohesive
 Therefore substances can dissolve in it
 It is used as a transport medium e.g xylem vessels, blood
1.3 Understand how the structures of blood vessels (capillaries, arteries and veins) relate to their
functions.

Explain how the structure of an artery is related to it’s function [4]

 It has elastic fibres in it’s wall

 To recoil
 Maintain a high blood pressure
 It has folded endothelium
 Which allows stretching to cope with high blood pressure
 It has smooth muscle
 To contract
 It has collagen
 To avoid damage

1.4 Relate the structure and operation of the mammalian heart, including the major blood vessels,
to its function.

Explain why there are pressure changes in the aorta [5]

 The aortic wall contains elastic fibres

 These stretch and recoil
 To maintain a high blood pressure
 To prevent damage
 They have semi lunar valves at their base which close

1.5 Understand the course of events that leads to atherosclerosis (endothelial dysfunction,
inflammatory response, plaque formation, raised blood pressure)

Describe how atherosclerosis develops and it’s consequences[8]

 The endothelium of an artery is damaged

 This causes an inflammatory response
 Where white blood cells and cholesterol accumulate into the area of damage
 An atheroma forms- plaque
 This raises blood pressure
 The elasticity of an artery is loss
 The process is self-perpetuating

1.6 Understand the blood-clotting process (thromboplastin release, conversion of prothrombin to

thrombin and fibrinogen to fibrin) and its role in cardiovascular disease (CVD).

Explain what happens when a blood clot forms [5]

 Platelets stick together

 Platelets release thromboplastin
 This results in the blood clot cascade being triggered
 Prothombrin converts to thombrin
 Blood clot grows faster
Why do blood clots form only when required?

 The clotting factors are present in an inactive form in the blood

What is a platelet?

 A cell fragment that releases thromboplastin

 That tangles in a mesh with fibrin

What is fibrinogen?

 Soluble
 It is a globular protein

What is fibrin?

 Insoluble
 It is a fibrous protein

Explain why a blood clot in an artery leading to the brain can cause a stroke [4]

 Blood flow to the brain is restricted

 Brain cells receive less oxygen
 They therefore cannot respire aerobically to release energy
 The brain needs energy to function properly

Describe the possible effects of a blood clot forming [3]

 Artery is blocked meaning blood flow to the heart muscle is restricted

 Heart muscle receives less oxygen
 Cannot respire aerobically
 Heart attack if coronary artery is blocked

1.7 Know how factors such as genetics, diet, age, gender, high blood pressure, smoking and
inactivity increase the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD).

Define CVD

 Disease of the heart which can lead to reduced blood supply

Define relative risk

 The chance of developing a disease of one group compared to another

Explain how high blood cholesterol can influence the onset of CHD [2]

 This can increase the build up of lipid in an artery, increasing atheroma formation
 This restricts blood flow to the heart

Explain how high blood pressure can influence the onset of CHD [4]

 This can damage the endothelium of an artery

 Narrowing the artery
 Restricted blood supply to the heart
 Heart receives less oxygen
Explain how smoking can influence the onset of CHD [4]

 Nicotine in cigarettes makes platelets sticky

 This increases the chance of blood clot formation
 Restricting blood supply to the heart
 The heart receives less oxygen

Explain why people who are overweight are more likely to die from heart disease [3]

 They are more likely to have high blood cholesterol

 This increases the formation of an atheroma
 Which can block an artery

Suggest and explain why a low cholesterol diet might not result in a lower blood cholesterol level [2]

 The liver still produces cholesterol

 This diet only recues the ‘bad’ LDL

1.8 Be able to analyse and interpret quantitative data on illness and mortality rates to determine
health risks, including distinguishing between correlation and causation and recognising
conflicting evidence.

What is meant by ‘correlation’?

 When there is a relationship between two variables

What is meant by ‘causation’?

 When a change in one variable results in a change in another variable

Why might there be a difference in the number of deaths from CVD? [5]

 Differences in risk factors

 e.g differences in saturated fat consumption
 Differences in level of exercise
 Differences in healthcare
 Differences in level of education

1.9 Be able to evaluate the design of studies used to determine health risk factors, including sample
selection and sample size used to collect data that is both valid and reliable.

How do you know when an investigation on CVD is valid? [3]

 When researchers have selected people with a similar lifestyle, activity and medical history
 So that they can collect information that is relevant to the aim
 If variables are kept constant

What design of studies are more accurate (how well can I understand the data)? [3]

 Quantitative data such as BMI, waist to hip ratio

 The health professionals are trained
 Participants are less likely to underestimate
What indicated reliability in a study? [3]

 Repeats are used

 With a larger sample size
 For representative results

Why is it necessary to have a large sample size? [3]

 It makes the results more representative

 There are many potential risk factors of CVD
 The side effects are more likely to show up

Why might conclusions not be made in a study? [4]

 If the levels are given as a range

 If there is no indication of data analysis
 If there is no indication of sample numbers
 If there is no indication of other variables

1.10 Understand why people’s perceptions of risks are often different from the actual risks,
including underestimating and overestimating the risks due to diet and other lifestyle factors in
the development of heart disease.

Why might people underestimate/ overestimate a risk? [4]

 They may not remember

 They didn’t measure
 They lost track
 They used averages

1.11 i) Be able to analyse data on energy budgets and diet. ii) Understand the consequences of
energy imbalance, including weight loss, weight gain, and development of obesity.

Suggest the consequences of a low fat diet and an active life style [5]

 energy imbalance
 which can lead to weight loss
 which can reduce the metabolic rate
 a lack of protein which is required for making tissue
 the person will need to eat more for an energy balance
1.12 i) Know the difference between monosaccharides, disaccharides and polysaccharides,
including glycogen and starch (amylose and amylopectin). ii) Be able to relate the structures of
monosaccharides, disaccharides and polysaccharides to their roles in providing and storing
energy (β-glucose and cellulose are not required in this topic).

Describe the structure of glycogen and explain why it is a suitable molecule for storing energy [8]

 it consists of alpha glucose

 it is joined by 1-4 and 1-6 glycosidic, meaning it is similar to amylopectin
 but it has more side branches
 so it is easily hydrolysed
 so it can store more glucose in a smaller space
 it has no osmosis effect because it is insoluble in water
 the breakdown of glycogen provides energy
 for aerobic respiration

1.15 i) Be able to analyse and interpret data on the possible significance for health of blood
cholesterol levels and levels of high-density lipoproteins (HDLs) and low-density lipoproteins (LDLs).
ii) Know the evidence for a causal relationship between blood cholesterol levels (total cholesterol
and LDL cholesterol) and cardiovascular disease (CVD).

Explain the problems of not having a properly functioning LDL [7]

 cholesterol remains in the blood

 because the protein will have a different primary structure
 there will be fewer normal LDL
 this increases hard plaque formation
 leading to narrower arteries
 there will be less oxygen supply to muscle cells
 so there is a greater risk of heart disease

1.18 Know the benefits and risks of treatments for cardiovascular disease (CVD)

Explain why statins reduce the risk of CVD [3]

 they inhibit cholesterol production in the liver

 which reduces total blood cholesterol levels
 they increase HDL levels