Weekly Health Quiz: Obesity, Cycling and Salmon

1 Which of the following compounds is found in both plants and processed meats, yet have very different health effects due to the presence or absence of antioxidants and heme? In plants, this compound triggers the creation of beneficial nitric oxide; obtained from processed meat, the same compound triggers creation of carcinogenic compounds.

• Nitrates

  Nitrates from plants turn into beneficial nitric oxide in your body due to the presence of antioxidants, while nitrites from processed meat turn into carcinogenic N-nitroso compounds due to the presence of proteins and heme. Learn more.

• Nitrogen
• Protein
• Purines

2 What is one of the most significant contributors to lowered life expectancy in the U.S. and the leading cause of death of adults under 50?

• Cancer
• Heart Disease
• Obesity
• Opioid overdoses

  The opioid epidemic has resulted in lowered life expectancy for both men and women in the U.S. for the second year in a row. Americans consume 99 percent of the hydrocodone sold worldwide and 81 percent of all oxycodone — approximately 30 times more than medically necessary for the population size of the U.S. Learn more.

3 Type 2 diabetes is a disease caused by:

• Elevated blood sugar
• Insulin and leptin resistance

  Type 2 diabetes is rooted in insulin and leptin resistance. Prediabetes is characterized by a slight elevation in blood glucose, and some of the evidence suggests as many as 80 percent of people have unhealthy insulin sensitivity, placing them at great risk for diabetes. Learn more.

• Pancreatic dysfunction
• Mitochondrial dysfunction

4 According to recent research, abdominal obesity is associated with an increased risk for:

• Irritability and mood swings
• Aggression and homicide
• Schizophrenia and obsessive-compulsive disorder
• Anxiety and depression

  Studies have shown women with abdominal obesity are at increased risk of anxiety and depression. There are compelling links between a high-sugar, processed food diet and poor mental health outcomes, and studies investigating the connection between obesity and mental health add further support to the diet-depression link. Learn more.

5 A recent study of very active cyclists indicates life-long exercise has a noticeably positive effect on which of your body's systems:

• Lymphatic system
• Endocrine system
• Immune system

  In one study, older adults who exercised regularly were shown to have stronger immune systems, as evidenced by higher T-cell activity, than their nonexercising peers. Learn more.

• Integumentary system

6 Which statement below is false?

• Farmed salmon can feed many but is an ecological disaster
• Farmed salmon has 500% more omega 3 than wild salmon

  Tests show farmed salmon is about five times more toxic than any other food tested. PCB concentrations in farmed salmon are also, on average, eight times higher than in wild salmon. Learn more.

• The oceans are contaminated so wild salmon has 250% more toxins than farmed salmon
• Mice fed farmed salmon developed obesity and diabetes.

7 Which of the following are currently among the leading causes of death in the U.S.?

• Lifestyle-based chronic diseases

  When modern medicine was developed, the top causes of death were acute infectious diseases. Today, the leading causes of death are lifestyle-based chronic diseases, which the medical system is not designed to care for. Learn more.

• Acute infectious diseases
• Chronic bacterial and viral diseases
• Medical mistakes