Weekly Health Quiz: Milk, Bees and Pregnancy

1 Honey bee queens are raised exclusively on which of the following substances, responsible for the queen's longevity and remarkable fertility?

• Royal jelly

  The larva selected to become queen is fed royal jelly exclusively, while the rest of the larva receive royal jelly along with pollen and honey. This exclusive royal jelly diet activates certain genes in the queen bee, allowing her to grow much larger and become such a prolific egg layer. Learn more.

• Propolis
• Organic honey
• Bee pollen

2 A food product labeled "100% Natural" means it:

• Contains no synthetic ingredients or contaminants
• Could contain just about anything, as the "natural" label is unregulated

  The "All-Natural" and "100% Natural" labels are meaningless, as there are no rules governing their use. Sanderson Farms advertises their chicken as 100 percent natural. However, tests reveal the presence of a number of questionable and potentially hazardous drugs. Learn more.

• Is identical to or better than organic
• Contains at least 50 percent organic ingredients

3 In the past decade, milk allergy in infants has:

• Significantly increased
• Significantly decreased
• Remained stable

  In the past decade, prescriptions in the U.K. for infant formula for babies with cow's milk allergy has risen sixfold, even though there's no evidence of true incidence actually increasing. The discrepancy appears to be driven by makers of infant formula, which have funded and loosened guidelines for diagnosis so that even most healthy babies qualify. Learn more.

• None of the above as milk allergy is a myth

4 Which of the following nutrients has been shown to influence a child's risk of schizophrenia and autism when the mother is deficient during pregnancy?

• Vitamin A
• Vitamin C
• Vitamin K
• Vitamin D

  Vitamin D deficiency during pregnancy has been shown to increase autism-related traits in young children, and raises the child's risk of developing schizophrenia later in life. Learn more.

5 Marjoram is closely related to and often confused with:

• Oregano

  Marjoram is closely related to and often confused withoregano, and the two plants will cross-pollinate if grown close together, making proper identification near-impossible. Learn more.

• Basil
• Cilantro
• Sage

6 Which of the following dietary fats is most harmful to human health?

• Marine-based omega-3 in fish
• Omega-6 linoleic acid in vegetable oils

  Vegetable oils high in omega-6 linoleic acid are proinflammatory whereas omega-3 fats are anti-inflammatory. Saturated fats are also very important to human health. Learn more.

• Plant-based omega-3 in chia seeds and other plant sources
• Saturated fat in meats

7 Which of the following is not considered crucial for healthy aging?

• Omega fats (omega-3 and omega-6)
• Vitamins
• Trans fats

  Vitamins and minerals are crucial for healthy aging. Other important nutrients include ergothioneine, an amino acid primarily produced in mushrooms, NAC, NAD, carotenoids, choline, acetyl L-carnitine and alpha lipoic acid. Getting the right ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fats is also important for healthy aging. Learn more.

• Minerals