Certified Travel Counselor (CTC) 2025 – 400 Free Practice Questions to Pass the Exam

The correct response highlights a common physiological change that occurs as individuals age, particularly if they do not engage in regular muscular training or physical activity. As adults age, there is a natural decline in muscle mass and strength, a phenomenon often referred to as sarcopenia. This condition can lead to a gradual loss of lean muscle tissue, typically quantified around 5 pounds (2.3 kg) per decade.

This loss is attributed to various factors, including hormonal changes, decreased physical activity, and the efficiency of protein synthesis. As muscle mass decreases, there is often a corresponding increase in body fat percentage, which may offset some of the initial weight loss, but the key visual here is the net loss of lean body mass.

In contrast, the other responses imply gains in weight that typically do not align with the common outcomes of a sedentary lifestyle in aging adults. Instead of gaining weight, particularly in the form of lean muscle, the trend leans toward a decrease when muscular training is not a part of one’s lifestyle, making the option of a 5-pound loss over a decade consistent with knowledge in exercise science and aging research.