Weekly Health Quiz: Pesticides, Saffron and Sugar

1 Research suggests humans are able to derive energy from sunlight through consumption of which plant substance?

• Plant alkaloids
• Bee Royal Jelly
• Tannins
• Chlorophyll

  Research shows humans are able to derive energy from sunlight through consumption of plant chlorophyll, found in dark green vegetables, algae such as chlorella and cyanobacteria such as spirulina. Learn more.

2 DNA testing has revealed many drug-resistant urinary tract infections are caused by consuming which of the following foods, contaminated with drug-resistant E.coli?

• Contaminated fresh produce
• Contaminated chicken

  Antibiotic-resistant UTIs have been directly linked to the consumption of chicken meat contaminated with antibiotic-resistant E.coli. Learn more.

• Contaminated beef
• Contaminated eggs

3 Which of the following typically uses the least amount of energy and the least amount of chemical inputs?

• Plant-based meat substitutes
• Conventional agriculture and confined animal feeding operations
• Regenerative, herbivore-centered agriculture

  Industrial agriculture is one of the most unsustainable practices of modern civilization, but the answer is not to replace farms with chemistry labs. Grasslands are key to fixing many environmental problems, and herbivores are a necessary part of this ecosystem. Learn more.

• Lab-grown meat (meat cultured from animal stem cells)

4 Studies have shown concurrent use of the following drug combination increases your risk of a lethal overdose fivefold in the first 90 days:

• Opioids and aspirin
• Opioids and benzodiazepine ("benzos")

  The combination of opioids and benzodiazepine, widely prescribed for anxiety and insomnia, is the most common drug combination in cases where an overdose death involved two or more drugs. During the first 90 days of concurrent use, your risk of a deadly overdose rises fivefold, compared to taking an opioid alone. Learn more.

• Opioids and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs)
• Benzodiazepine and tricyclic antidepressants

5 The stigmas of this lovely purple flower are known as saffron and it takes about 170,000 flowers to produce a single pound of this costly spice.

• Fuchsia
• Clematis
• Purple crocus

  As mentioned in the featured video, given the fact each saffron crocus plant contains just three stigmas it takes about 170,000 flowers to produce a single pound of this costly spice. Learn more.

• Sea thistle

6 Which of the following is NOT a type of sugar?

• Mannose
• Muscovado
• Muscadine

  Seventy-four percent of packaged foods contain added sugars, which hide under 56 different names, many of which are unfamiliar. Examples include mannose, muscovado and treacle. Learn more.

• Treacle

7 A large body of scientific evidence suggests the safe level of pesticides for children is:

• In the single-digit parts per trillion range
• In the parts per billion range
• Zero; there is no safe lower limit for pesticides in children

  There's no specific safety testing done for children, but studies show there is no lower level of pesticides that is safe for children. Learn more.

• In the parts per million range