How much do you know about your health? Try your knowledge on the following questions.

1 Which is the false statement? Smoking steeply raises your risks of developing the following diseases:

a) Chronic bronchitis; b) lung cancer; c) kidney and bladder cancer; d) throat cancer; e) heart attacks; f) strokes; g) diabetes

The answer is g). Smoking initiates all the diseases listed from a) to f), but not diabetes. However, if you have diabetes and also smoke, you put yourself at much higher risk than non-diabetics of all the other diseases, particularly women.

2 Which of these symptoms might make you suspect that you have high blood pressure?

a) Headaches, especially in the morning; b) fuzzy vision; c) forgetfulness; d) dizziness; e fainting; f) sleepiness; g) feeling generally unwell; h) all of the above; i) none of the above

The answer is i). Most people with high blood pressure have no symptoms and only find out that they have it by chance. Their first symptom may even be a stroke or heart attack. Once diagnosed, if it is kept in the normal range, your risks of heart attack and stroke fall steeply.

3 Which of the following statements about exercise are true?

a) You need to exercise every day to keep fit; b) If you are overweight it's best to see your doctor first before you start; c) It's only useful if it makes your heart beat faster; d) It's only useful if it makes you out of breath; e) It's a good way to lose weight without the need to eat less.

The answers are c) and d). If you are exercising regularly then you should take two days off a week to let your muscles replace their energy stores. Most overweight people can easily exercise without having to have a check up. If you are overweight and keep eating all you will do is put on more muscle. So eat sensibly as well as exercise.

4 As we get older we should expect to develop middle aged spread. It's natural. True or false?

False. Middle aged spread is the result of exercising less and eating more as we become more affluent. It's natural to remain the same weight as we were as young adults. Thin people live, on average, several years longer than fat people.

5 Being more than two stones overweight for our height makes us more susceptible to which of the following problems?

a) osteoarthritis; b) diabetes; c) heart attacks; d) strokes; e) bad reactions to anaesthetics; f) cancer; g) kidney failure; h) all of the above; i) none of the above

The answer is h). Being too fat puts strains on weight-bearing structures like bones and joints, on the metabolism in people susceptible to diabetes, on the brain circulation, the heart, the way we deal with anaesthetics and even the immune system. The more overweight we become, the greater the risks of them all.

6 Asthma and skin diseases such as eczema and dermatitis are generally the results of eating the wrong food, often because it contains artificial additives. They can usually be tackled by changing our diet. True or false?

False. Asthma attacks can be provoked by many 'foreign' substances including inhaled dusts, pollens and viruses, but it is rare for them to be initiated by food. Changing the diet very rarely improves asthma or skin problems.

7 Which of the following statements about alcohol are true?

a) Teetotallers are generally healthier than drinkers; b) It's good for the heart to drink a little each day; c) A weekend binge is OK provided we don't drink during the week; d) If we eat as we drink the alcohol has less effect on us; e) If we dilute the alcohol it has less effect; f) Red wine is inherently healthier than whisky; g) All of the above; h) None of the above

The answers are a) and b). On the whole, abstainers are healthier than the vast majority of drinkers, most of whom drink too much (more than 3 units per day for men and more than 2 for women). But a small amount each day does prevent some heart attacks and strokes. Bingeing is dangerous because it can have long term effects on the liver and brain. And the protective effect of red wine is in the alcohol, just as it is in whisky.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.