Which statement about aging and tongue pressure is true?

Which statement about aging and tongue pressure is true?

• A. Maximum Isometric Tongue Pressure Decreases with Age Due to Sarcopenia
• B. Dynamic Tongue Pressures During Swallowing Remain Normal
• C. Lingual Rigidity Increases with Age
• D. Lingual Hemiparesis Is Common

Answer: (B)

Dynamic tongue pressure during swallowing can stay within normal limits even as people age, because swallowing relies on rapid, coordinated tongue movements rather than on maximal static strength alone. As age increases, maximum isometric tongue pressure tends to decline due to sarcopenia, but the pressures generated during a swallow—the functional, moment-to-moment pressures—are often preserved thanks to neural control and task-specific muscle recruitment. That makes the statement about dynamic pressures remaining normal the true one in the context of aging and tongue pressure. The idea that maximum static tongue strength falls with age is a real phenomenon, but it doesn’t contradict the observation that swallow-related pressures can be normal. Choices suggesting that lingual rigidity increases with age or that lingual hemiparesis is a common age-related change aren’t typical features of aging alone and don’t describe the usual pattern seen in tongue function.

Dynamic tongue pressure during swallowing can stay within normal limits even as people age, because swallowing relies on rapid, coordinated tongue movements rather than on maximal static strength alone. As age increases, maximum isometric tongue pressure tends to decline due to sarcopenia, but the pressures generated during a swallow—the functional, moment-to-moment pressures—are often preserved thanks to neural control and task-specific muscle recruitment. That makes the statement about dynamic pressures remaining normal the true one in the context of aging and tongue pressure.

The idea that maximum static tongue strength falls with age is a real phenomenon, but it doesn’t contradict the observation that swallow-related pressures can be normal. Choices suggesting that lingual rigidity increases with age or that lingual hemiparesis is a common age-related change aren’t typical features of aging alone and don’t describe the usual pattern seen in tongue function.