Test Your Knowledge

Sleep, Supplements, and a Few Surprises. 

Let’s see what we know about some important stuff.

• Which of the following is not a risk factor for developing obstructive sleep apnea (OSA)?
  1. Male gender
  2. Obesity
  3. A neck circumference of 41 centimeters
  4. Easily falling asleep during a movie
  5. Loud snoring

• Which is not a significant component of the Mediterranean diet?
  1. Yellow and white cheeses
  2. Olive oil
  3. Two servings of lean red meat a day
  4. Green leafy vegetables
  5. Nuts and seeds

• Which of the following statements is/are false?
  1. Roasting nuts will reduce their nutritive value by as much as 15%.
  2. If a food has a low glycemic index (GI), it is more like to negatively affect your blood sugar.
  3. Eating two slices of bacon every day will raise your cholesterol level within three months.
  4. If started on a statin, you will need to wait five to six months before being able to determine if it is effective.
  5. Most causes of obesity are glandular.

• Match the vitamin with the disease associated with its deficiency.
  1. Vitamin B1 scurvy
  2. Vitamin B3 rickets
  3. Vitamin B5 Bleeding in newborns
  4. Vitamin B7 pellagra
  5. Vitamin A beriberi
  6. Vitamin C Rashes, hair loss, anemia
  7. Vitamin D Night blindness
  8. Vitamin K Numbness and tingling

• Need a break from all of these medical questions? Here’s something a little different but maybe more challenging. Match the animals (or other critters) with their respective groups. A perfect score indicates you’ve been watching too much Animal Planet.
  1. Hyenas band
  2. Raccoons cackle
  3. Crows convocation
  4. Hippopotamuses gaze
  5. Falcons army
  6. Alligators murder
  7. Peacocks bloat
  8. Eagles cast
  9. Caterpillars congregation
  10. Coyotes muster

Answers:

• All of these are risk factors for OSA. Being an overweight male with a large neck is one of the most common findings. And loud snoring is another tip-off. Falling asleep during a movie is usually either a sign of day-time sleepiness or a bad movie. The former is associated with OSA.
• This should be an easy one. The Mediterranean diet is one of the smartest choices we can make. Its health benefits include loss and control of weight, reductions in blood pressure and lipids, and improved regulation of blood sugar. Olive oil is a mainstay, as is utilization of fruits, nuts, and cheeses. Green leafy vegetables as well as most other vegetables are encouraged. In this diet, protein comes from multiple sources, including moderate portions of fish and chicken. Red meat is limited to only a few small servings a week, and could be completely eliminated. So that’s the correct answer.
• All of these statements are false. Roasting nuts has no effect on their nutritive value, and will usually improve their flavor. The glycemic index works in the opposite way. The higher the index (0 to 100), the worse it is for your blood sugar. And eating bacon won’t raise your lipid levels. It all depends on what you’re eating with it. Regarding the measurement of your lipid levels, dietary changes (for instance, really cutting down on your carbs) and starting medication will effect changes within three to four weeks. And unfortunately, most causes of being overweight are not glandular (whatever that is). It’s the simple equation of taking in more than you burn up.
• This question might take you back to your high school or college biology classes.
  5. Vitamin B1 – 5. Beriberi (associated with heart failure, weight loss, and brain damage)
  6. Vitamin B3 – 4. Pellagra (skin lesions)
  7. Vitamin B5 – 8. Numbness and tingling. Vitamin B5 is also known as pantothenic acid.
  8. Vitamin B7 – 6. Rashes, hair loss, and anemia. Vitamin B7 is also known as biotin
  9. Vitamin A – 7. Night blindness
  10. Vitamin C – 1. Scurvy. This was a common problem among sailors, due to their poor diets while on long voyages. The British figured this out and provided stores of lemons and limes as a source of vitamin C to prevent scurvy—hence their nickname “Limeys”.
  11. Vitamin D – 2. Rickets (a disfiguring condition of bones)
  12. Vitamin K – 3. Bleeding in newborns
• I warned you this might be challenging. Here we go:
  1. Hyenas – cackle
  2. Raccoons – gaze
  3. Crows – murder
  4. Hippopotamuses – bloat (descriptive, but not very flattering)
  5. Falcons – cast
  6. Alligators – congregation
  7. Peacocks – muster
  8. Eagles – convocation
  9. Caterpillars – army
  10. Coyotes – band

If you find yourself on Jeopardy one day, and win a lot of money because you know that a bunch of alligators is called a congregation, let me know. In the meantime, you can impress your supper club.