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Physiological Adaptations

Meaning

Physiological adaptations are the structural, functional, or biochemical modifications that occur within the human body in response to chronic, persistent environmental or internal demands, ultimately enhancing the organism’s capacity to maintain homeostasis and survive. These changes can be beneficial, such as the increase in bone mineral density following resistance training, or maladaptive, such as the development of chronic insulin resistance due to sustained caloric excess. In the context of hormonal health, these adaptations are often mediated by the endocrine system’s long-term adjustments to persistent demands, like the chronic upregulation of the stress axis.