Weekly Health Quiz: Cholesterol and Life Expectancy

1 For optimal health and prevention of cardiovascular disease and neurological degeneration, you'll want to maintain the following ratio of omega-3 to omega-6:

• 1-to-18
• 1-to-3

  While omega-3s have an anti-inflammatory effect, the omega-6 found in seed oils tend to be proinflammatory. Maintaining a healthy 1-to-3 ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 is important, as chronic low-grade inflammation is a hallmark of most chronic diseases, including obesity, diabetes and heart disease. Learn more.

• 1-to-6
• 1-to-1

2 Which of the following is more likely to kill a person than being unvaccinated and contracting the childhood diseases rubella, mumps or rotavirus in childhood?

• Slipping in the shower
• A lightning strike
• Choking on food
• All of the above

  Before vaccines became available and were routinely used, the annual death toll in the U.S. from rubella was 17 to 24, rotavirus 20 to 30 and mumps 39 to 50. For comparison, each year 100 people die from being struck by lightning, 200 die from choking on food, 350 die from slip and fall accidents in the bath or shower. Learn more.

3 The most significant risk factor for cardiovascular disease is:

• High total cholesterol
• High LDL
• High HDL
• Insulin resistance

  The most significant risk factors for cardiovascular disease are insulin resistance, Type 2 diabetes and the chronic inflammation associated with these conditions. Learn more.

4 The reduction in life expectancy in the U.S. over the past three years is primarily driven by rising rates of:

• Drug overdoses and suicide

  The drop in life expectancy in the U.S. during 2015, 2016 and 2017 is being attributed to a combination of still-increasing drug overdoses — especially from fentanyl — and a 3.7 percent rise in suicides. Learn more.

• Automobile accidents and gun violence
• "Acts of God" such as hurricanes, fires and landslides
• Climate-driven infectious diseases

5 Which of the following global health crises is the leading cause of disability and chronic illness worldwide?

• Infectious diseases
• Obesity

  Obesity has become a greater global health crisis than hunger, and is the leading cause of disability and chronic illness around the world. On average, people are plagued by obesity-related pain and illness during the last 14 years of life. Learn more.

• Hunger
• Back pain

6 The suspected cause behind the skyrocketing global rates of macular degeneration, a disease that was virtually nonexistent more than a century ago, is thought to be tied to:

• Lack of sufficient beta-carotene intake
• Family history and genetics
• Increased consumption of processed food

  Given the reality macular degeneration has gone from being an extremely rare disorder more than a century ago to one that is found at increasingly alarming rates in developed countries around the world, Knobbe points to higher intakes of processed food — not aging or genetics — as the root cause. Learn more.

• Overexposure to artificial lighting

7 The following diet has been scientifically shown to impede tumor growth and lower inflammation, significantly reducing your chances of developing cancer:

• Atkins diet
• DASH (low-salt) diet
• Mediterranean diet
• Ketogenic diet

  Ketogenic diets promote healthy mitochondrial function and respiration, reduce tumor vascularity and inflammation, and enhance tumor cell death. Learn more.