HEALTH QUIZ: From Shirley Ballas’s surgery to vegan sausage rolls, how much of 2019 do YOU remember?
Strictly head judge Shirley Ballas had what removed in October after a health scare?
Wacky celebrity remedies, the rise of veganism and the return of the deadly measles virus – there’s barely been a day in 2019 when health news hasn’t hit the headlines.
But which stories made a lasting impression on you?
Take our quiz to find out how closely you were reading our award-winning Health section.
1. Strictly head judge Shirley Ballas, far right, had what removed in October after a health scare?
2. Supermarkets and restaurants offer ever wider ranges of ‘plant-based’ foods to customers going meat-free and dairy-free, including, famously, bakers Greggs with its vegan sausage rolls.
But what percentage of the British population now consider themselves vegan?
a) 15 per cent
b) 5 per cent
c) 1 per cent
Supermarkets and restaurants offer ever wider ranges of ‘plant-based’ foods to customers going meat-free and dairy-free, including, famously, bakers Greggs with its vegan sausage rolls
3. In March, Health Secretary Matt Hancock called for better support for reality TV stars following the death of a former contestant from which show?
4. A controversial study, published in September, suggested that cutting down on something was a waste of time for most people. What was it?
a) Smoking
b) Working
c) Eating red meat
5. Dame Sally Davies, England’s chief medical officer, stepped down in the autumn after nine years in the role. In her final report, what measure did she suggest to tackle the country’s obesity crisis?
What percentage of the British population now consider themselves vegan?
6. Game Of Thrones star Emilia Clarke revealed in March that she had twice undergone surgery in between filming for the hit TV show. But why did she need surgery?
a) She’d had her lips enhanced
b) She’d had her bunions fixed
c) She’d suffered two life-threatening brain aneurysms
7. In September, 12- and 13-year-old boys in England began being offered which cancer-protecting vaccination – already available to girls of the same age?
8. Nottingham teenager Ewan Fisher hit the headlines in November after telling of his near-death experience. What habit did he – and his doctors – blame for his illness?
a) Drinking too much
b) Smoking
c) Vaping
Nottingham teenager Ewan Fisher hit the headlines in November after telling of his near-death experience. What habit did he – and his doctors – blame for his illness? a) Drinking too much b) Smoking c) Vaping
9. In January, which condition did Kate Middleton’s brother James, 32, admit he had been suffering from since 2016?
10. What are British people having less of than they were before, according to a study published in May?
a) Sex
b) Fruit and vegetables
c) Fun
11. In February, analysis of World Health Organisation data put the UK as the world’s 19th healthiest nation. Which was top?
a) Japan
b) Italy
c) Spain
Rocker Rod Stewart, above, revealed in September he was free of what disease, after two years of secret treatment?
12. Rocker Rod Stewart, above, revealed in September he was free of what disease, after two years of secret treatment?
13. Six patients died and a review of UK hospital food was ordered following an outbreak of what infection in NHS hospitals, linked to ready- made sandwiches?
a) Listeria
b) Norovirus
c) E.coli
14. In August, amid falling childhood vaccination rates, it was announced that which disease, once considered eliminated from the UK, had returned?
a) Smallpox
b) Measles
c) Mumps
15. In October, a US drug company made headlines around the world with the announcement that it had created the first-ever drug to slow the progression of which condition, mostly linked with older age?
16. Which old wives’ tale – reputed to bring on labour for full-term pregnant women – was dispelled this year by an Italian review of available evidence?
a) Eating curry
b) Having a hot bath
c) Having sex
17. In March, a British patient became only the second person in history to be cured of which deadly virus – one that kills almost 40 million people globally every year?
18. Which daily pill – taken by about 5.5 million people in the UK – could soon be replaced by a simple twice-yearly jab, according to research published earlier this month?
a) Aspirin
b) Antihistamines
c) Statins
19. Gwyneth Paltrow’s wacky wellness brand Goop, which has attracted controversy for its questionable diet advice and promotion of fads such as vaginal steaming, held a summit in London in June. But just how much did an all-access day pass to the sold-out event cost?
a) £750
b) £1,000
c) £2,000
20. Earlier this year, in a major U-turn, doctors were told to warn millions of UK patients about the possible severe side effects of which drugs?
21. What did NHS England boss Simon Stevens declare an ‘emergency’, after a major study found it was linked to hundreds of heart attacks, strokes and hospital admissions for asthma every year?
22. In September, what did a Public Health England report reveal that we are eating more of, in spite of efforts to reduce our intake?
a) Fast food
b) Sugar
c) Fatty foods
23. In April, what did the WHO suggest babies and toddlers should not be allowed to do before the age of two?
a) Eat sweets
b) Play alone outside
c) Passively watch TV or screens
24. We’ve all heard the saying ‘Beer before wine and you’ll feel fine; wine before beer and you’ll feel queer’. But what did Cambridge University scientists find after investigating the truth behind it, according to a study published in February?
ANSWERS BELOW
1. Breast implants
Shirley Ballas decided to have them removed after learning of her family history of breast cancer and suffering her own scare in 2018.
2. About one per cent of Britons are vegan
In March, bakery chain Greggs launched a vegan sausage roll.
3. Love Island
The ITV show was urged to introduce better mental health support for contestants, following the death of Mike Thalassitis in March.
4. Cutting down on red and processed meat
Research suggested that if 1,000 people cut out three portions of red or processed meat a week for their lifetime, there would be just seven fewer deaths from cancer – contradicting most official guidance on meat consumption.
5. Ban food and drink on public transport
Dame Sally said the proposal would help reduce unhealthy snacking, but that people who need to eat or drink because of medical conditions would be exempt. Drinking water would also be permitted.
6. Two aneurysms in the brain
Emilia Clarke experienced her first in 2011, shortly after working out. She recovered, but suffered another aneurysm in 2013 and required more invasive surgery.
7. HPV jab
The vaccination protects against the human papilloma virus, which causes oral, throat and anal cancers.
8. Vaping
Ewan was 16 when vaping caused a catastrophic reaction in his lungs, his doctors said. However, health officials in the UK say vaping is 95 per cent safer than tobacco.
9. Depression
James Middleton said he felt compelled to talk about his ‘cancer of the mind’, because of the work of his brother- in-law and sister, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.
10. Sex
A study in the British Medical Journal suggested that nearly a third of people have not had sex in the past month – up from a quarter in 2001.
11. Spain
Previous research has found that following a Mediterranean diet can reduce the risk of death in elderly people.
12. Prostate Cancer
Rod Stewart, 74, revealed he was diagnosed in February 2016 after a routine check-up. The veteran rocker urged other men to get tested.
13. Listeria
Nine patients were affected after eating pre-packaged sandwiches and salads linked to the outbreak.
14. Measles
Three years after the measles virus was eliminated from the UK, the country lost its ‘measles-free’ status. In the first quarter of 2019, there were 231 confirmed cases.
15. Alzheimer’s Disease
The announcement came as a surprise, as earlier trials of the drug aducanumab produced disappointing results. But a new analysis of more data suggested it could help patients.
16. Sex
The study found no link between having sex and having a spontaneous labour.
17. HIV
The patient ended up in remission following a stem cell transplant and is no longer taking drugs. It follows a similar case ten years ago in Berlin.
18. Statins
Experts at the American Heart Association’s annual Scientific Sessions in Philadelphia said the first injection to lower cholesterol could receive NHS approval within 18 months.
19. £1,000
Gwyneth Paltrow at the Avengers: Infinity War film premiere , Los Angeles
An all-access day pass to Gwyneth Paltrow’s event included wellness workshops and talks with ‘boundary-pushing’ celebrities.
20. Antidepressants
Official guidance to GPs in England and Wales was changed, amid growing concern about the withdrawal effects triggered by common drugs used to treat anxiety and depression.
21. Air pollution
Research by King’s College London revealed that days of high air pollution trigger an extra 123 cardiac arrests, 231 stroke admissions and 193 hospital admissions for asthma across nine major UK cities every year.
22. Sugar
Between 2015 and 2018, the amount of sugar in foods bought at supermarkets in England rose from 723,000 tons to 743,000.
23. Passively watch TV or screens
The new guidelines suggest sedentary screen time, including computer games, should not be allowed until a child is two.
24. It doesn’t matter which order
If you drink too much of anything, you’ll feel unwell. Scientists didn’t find any truth in the idea that having beer first gives you a milder hangover.
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