Here is a quiz to test your knowledge of health facts vs. fiction.  The answers follow at the end.   

Let’s see how you do! 

Questions: 

1.  Saturated fats like red meat, butter and eggs raise your risk of heart disease.

True or false

2. It’s OK if you don’t have a bowel movement every day.

True or false

3.  How long can it take your gut microbiome to recover after a single course of antibiotics?

A.  One day
B.  One week
C.  A month 
D.  Six months 
E.  A year or more 

4.  Which of the following is NOT a health benefit of Vitamin D?

A.  Type 2 diabetes prevention

B.  Enhance gum and tooth health 

C.  Cancer prevention 

D.  Reproductive health 

E.  Ease depression 

F.   All of the above are health benefits of Vitamin D

5.  Statins are relatively safe and a good way to lower your cholesterol.

True or false

6. Vaccine-derived immunity is superior to naturally created immunity.

True or false

A.  H. pylori infection

B.  Being low in digestive enzymes 

C.  Eating spicy or greasy foods, citrus fruits or chocolate 

D.  Stress 

E.  Smoking 

F.  All of the above are causes of heartburn/acid reflux 

8.  You should use pain relievers to lower a fever.

True or false

9.  The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is an independent agency and never accepts donations from private companies. 

True or false

10.  Diet soda is healthier than regular soda because it doesn’t have any sugar or calories. 

True or false

11.  You don’t have to strive to have a healthy diet as long as you take a multi-vitamin every day. 

True or false

12.  Which of the following is a cause of belly fat accumulation?

A.  Eating too many sugars and refined carbs

B.  Lack of regular exercise 

C.  Elevated cortisol 

D.  Low-functioning thyroid 

E.  Menopause 

F.  All of the above 

G. None of the above 

13. Which of the following are NOT signs of poor digestion?

A.  Bad breath (halitosis)

B.  Redness in the eyes 

C.  Dry skin and hair 

D.  Acne 

E.  Migraines 

F.  Body aches 

G.  Sneezing 

14.  Thirst can mimic hunger and many people think they are hungry when they are actually thirsty. 

True or false

15.  Most diseases (including cancer and heart disease) have their roots in one or more nutrient deficiencies. 

True or false

16.  The best way to lose weight is to cut calories. 

True or false

17.  Where does most of the digestion of food take place?

A.  The mouth

B.  The esophagus 

C.  The stomach 

D.  The small intestine 

E.  The large intestine 

18.  The gallbladder is not a necessary organ and there are no ill effects after having it removed. 

True or false

19.  Chronic inflammation is a leading factor behind which of the following conditions? 

A.  Heart disease; atherosclerosis

B.  Elevated cholesterol 

C.  High blood pressure 

D.  Cancer 

E.  Accelerated aging 

F.  All of the above 

G.  None of the above 

20.  The best way to prevent osteoporosis is to take calcium supplements and drink milk. 

True or false 

Answers: 

Here are the answers to the quiz questions—let’s see how you did! 

1- False.  Inflammation in the arteries is the root cause of most heart disease, and that is primarily a result of sugar in the diet and toxins in the bloodstream.  Saturated fats have been unjustly blamed for causing heart disease based on a faulty study several decades ago that cherry-picked data and presented highly misleading results. 

2- False.  A daily bowel movement is essential for the proper elimination of wastes and toxins from the body, as well as worn-out cholesterol and hormones.  Less frequent bowel movements suggest constipation.

3-  E. A year or more. It can take the gut microbiome up to one year or more to recover from a single course of antibiotics and overcome the harmful effects of the medications on the beneficial intestinal flora.

     
4-  F.  All of the above are health benefits of Vitamin D.  Vitamin D provides a wide variety of health-enhancing benefits and affects virtually all of the systems of the body. 

5-  False. Statins can and do cause many serious side effects including: death, muscle pain and weakness, incapacitation, kidney failure, liver damage, type 2 diabetes, memory loss, dementia, depression, anxiety, pancreatic inflammation, sexual dysfunction, gallstones, poor digestion, low energy and abnormal heart rhythm. They also increase acts of aggression and violence and raise the risk of suicide. 

Safe, effective ways to lower cholesterol include having a healthy whole foods diet, getting regular exercise, supplementing with Omega-3 fish oil, and taking probiotics.  (Probiotics support regular bowel movements, and the body eliminates excess cholesterol through the intestinal tract via the BMs.) 

6-  False.  The method behind most vaccines is to introduce a small amount of a virus to trick the immune system into developing antibodies to that virus. However, antibodies are only one small component of the body’s total immunity, so any protection derived from a vaccine will never equate to natural immunity.

7-  C.  Eating spicy or greasy foods, citrus fruits or chocolate.  Foods such as these can be irritating to some people, but they are not a root cause of heartburn or acid reflux.  

8-  False.  An initial rise in body temperature is a sign that the immune system is rising up to the challenge of an infection or virus—and the temperature allows it to function at a higher level. However, when pain relievers are taken to lower a fever, this undermines the immune system’s efforts, making it likely that a person may become even sicker.

Generally, fevers only become truly dangerous when they get up over 103°F and/or last longer than three to four days.   

9-  False.  While the CDC has claimed independence from special interests, it has accepted millions in corporate donations from pharmaceutical companies through its “CDC Foundation” which funnels those contributions to the CDC after deducting a fee. The CDC accepted $79.6 million from drug companies and manufacturers between 2014 and 2018 alone. 

10-  False.  Although the sugar in regular soda poses many health dangers, the artificial sweeteners in diet soda are no less harmful.  

Studies have linked aspartame (aka NutraSweet® and Equal®) to cancer, brain damage and premature delivery in pregnant women, worsening insulin sensitivity, blurred vision, retinal damage and blindness, behavioral disturbances, nerve pain, muscle weakness and memory lapses.   

Sucralose (Splenda®) has been shown in research to cause leukemia and other blood cancers, weight gain, digestive issues (including IBS, Crohn’s and leaky gut), and it can create carcinogenic compounds when heated (even though it’s recommended for baking).   

And according to recent research, artificial sweeteners were shown to destroy the beneficial bacteria in the gut microbiome. 

11-  False.  Vitamins are designed to supplement a nutritious diet—not to be a replacement for eating right or to undo the effects of an unhealthy diet.  No multi-vitamin formula in existence will provide the level and variety of nutrients from a healthy, whole foods diet.  

12-  F.  All of the above.  Each of the factors above may cause an increase the amount of fat in the belly region.  

13-  B.  Redness in the eyes and G.  Sneezing.  Although the effects of poor digestion can run the gamut, it is not directly responsible for causing eye redness or sneezing. These symptoms are more commonly related to food allergies. 

14-  True.  This is one reason dieters are encouraged to drink a glass of water before meals, as sometimes their feelings of hunger are actually thirst.

15-  True.  The body must have proper nutrients to maintain health, and a deficiency in any nutrient can be a root cause of sickness and disease. 

16-  False. Weight loss will typically occur at first when someone cuts calories.  But then metabolism eventually slows down (and weight loss ceases) because the body thinks that food supplies are limited and energy must be conserved.

The most effective way to lose weight is to have a healthy, whole foods diet, engage in regular exercise, support sound digestion and eliminate outside factors (such as stress and certain medications) that hinder weight loss.   

17-  D.  The small intestine.  Although most people think digestion takes place in the stomach, it only does the preparatory work.  The majority of digestion occurs in the small intestine with pancreatic enzymes and bile from the liver.  

18- False.  The gallbladder is very necessary.  It and the liver work together as a team, and about a quart of bile is secreted each day by the liver and sent to the gallbladder.  While the gallbladder is holding the bile, it absorbs excess water, making the bile more concentrated.

Then when food is eaten, the gallbladder contracts and releases bile into the upper part of the small intestine to emulsify the fat, cholesterol and fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K in the food. 

Without a gallbladder to hold and concentrate bile, the (weak, un-concentrated) bile instead randomly trickles directly from the liver into the small intestine…so eventually that may result in bile deficiency.  Plus since the bile is less concentrated, fats may not be broken down properly (resulting in burping and belching) and deficiencies of fat-soluble Vitamins A, D, E and K may occur.   

19-  F.  All of the above.  Chronic inflammation is an underlying cause of these and a plethora of other diseases and conditions.

20-  False.  About 20 different nutrients are required to build healthy bones.  In addition to calcium, other nutrients that are needed include Vitamin D3, magnesium, zinc, manganese, copper, boron, potassium, phosphorus, Vitamin K2, folic acid, protein and Vitamin C.

In addition, since the body uses alkaline minerals (including calcium) from the bones to buffer acidity in the body, it’s important to eat plenty of alkaline foods (primarily fresh vegetables) and limit harmful acidic foods (such as soda, fast food and processed foods) to maintain a healthy pH balance in the body and preserve the precious minerals in the bones.   

Did they ring a bell? 

I’ve written about all of these topics in the past, so if you’ve been a reader of mine for a while, chances are good that some of these questions rang a bell with you! 

If you weren’t quite sure about some of the questions, that’s OK!  The important point is that you keep reading, learning, and working toward a healthier you! 

And with our Holistic Blends products including our unique line of supplements, my books and consulting services, I will continue in my mission to do all I can to help YOU improve your health! 

To your health, 

Sherry Brescia