Nutrition quiz

last updated: October 06, 2008 05:09:29 AM

How closely have you been following the latest nutritional research? Here's a true/false quiz to test yourself:

1 Vitamin B-12 appears to protect people's brains as they age.

2 High-fructose corn syrup is the worst sweetener you can consume.

3 Soluble fiber (found in oats) lowers your risk of heart disease and stroke.

4 Insoluble fiber retards digestion and can bring on constipation.

5 Energy- dense foods are too high in fat and hasten weight gain.

6 Women should avoid eating fish during pregnancy.

ANSWERS 1. True. Patients who had higher vitamin B-12 levels were six times less likely to have experienced brain shrinkage compared with those who had lower levels of the vitamin, the researchers reported recently in the journal Neurology. 2. False. The American Medical Association in June issued a report saying that there's not enough good evidence that high-fructose corn syrup contributes to obesity or diabetes any more than other caloric sweeteners do to warrant its being blacklisted. (The report does note that more research is needed.) 3. True. Soluble fiber, found in oats, carrots and apples, forms a viscous gel that helps to decrease the absorption of cholesterol. 4. False. It's just the opposite. 5. False. Some energy-dense foods -- namely, nuts and seeds -- are relatively unprocessed and supply many beneficial nutrients. These foods are not linked to weight gain when consumed in moderation. 6. False. Higher prenatal fish consumption leads to better physical and cognitive development in infants, according to a study of mothers and infants from Denmark. Longer breast-feeding was also independently beneficial.

-- The Sacramento Bee

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