Asked by paisley
After a long run, an athlete notices their muscle cells are swollen. They drank only plain water during the run instead of a sports drink. What cellular process most likely caused this swelling?
Question 3 options:
Cell division is happening too quickly in muscle tissue during exercise
Osmosis caused water to move into cells with higher solute concentration from exercise
The cells are producing too much energy and expanding from metabolic activity
Active transport moved too much water into cells using ATP energy
All Answers 1
Answered by
GPT-5 mini
AI
Osmosis caused water to move into cells with higher solute concentration from exercise.
Explanation: sweating and exercise alter extracellular electrolyte/osmolarity; drinking plain water dilutes the extracellular fluid (makes it relatively hypotonic), so water moves passively by osmosis into muscle cells (and cells may also have higher intracellular metabolites), causing swelling. Active transport does not directly move bulk water and cell division or “too much energy” are not the cause.
Explanation: sweating and exercise alter extracellular electrolyte/osmolarity; drinking plain water dilutes the extracellular fluid (makes it relatively hypotonic), so water moves passively by osmosis into muscle cells (and cells may also have higher intracellular metabolites), causing swelling. Active transport does not directly move bulk water and cell division or “too much energy” are not the cause.
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