Weekly Health Quiz: Mitochondrial Dysfunction, Alzheimer's Support and Benzodiazepines

1 How can you reduce colorectal cancer risk from dysbiosis (an imbalance in gut microbiota)?

• Increase your intake of probiotic supplements to diversify your gut microbiota and reduce dysbiosis
• Focus solely on eliminating Streptococcus bovis, ignoring other bacteria involved in dysbiosis
• Use antibiotics regularly to prevent inflammation and oxidative stress from gut bacteria
• Adopt a diet rich in fiber to promote a balanced gut microbiota and reduce dysbiosis
  

  Dysbiosis drives colorectal cancer through mechanisms like inflammation, so a fiber-rich diet with foods like fruits and vegetables promotes a balanced gut microbiota, reducing this risk. Learn more.

2 How can you help prevent excess iron accumulation in your brain to reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease?

• Increase your intake of iron supplements to boost brain function
• Avoid foods rich in copper, as they interfere with iron metabolism
• Regularly donate blood to lower your iron levels
  

  Regular blood donation is an effective way to lower iron levels, helping to prevent the buildup of excess iron in your brain that can contribute to Alzheimer’s disease progression. Learn more.

• Consume more foods enriched with iron to balance brain health

3 Early-onset colorectal cancer is rising due to gut microbiome changes from antibiotics, with bacteria producing mutagenic chemicals. How can you lower your risk?

• Eat mostly fermented foods and reduce fiber to diversify gut bacteria
• Minimize antibiotic exposure to avoid promoting bacteria that produce mutagenic chemicals
  

  Antibiotics can favor bacteria producing mutagenic chemicals, increasing cancer risk, so limiting their use helps prevent this imbalance. Learn more.

• Use antibiotics to target bacteria producing mutagenic chemicals in the gut
• Take antibiotics with probiotics to balance bacteria producing chemicals

4 Why might you experience digestive issues from bread unlike your ancestors who ate large quantities in the 1880s?

• Modern bread lacks the nutrients ancestors relied on
• Glyphosate residues in wheat disrupt your gut microbiome
  

  Unlike ancestors who ate bread without widespread digestive issues, modern wheat contains glyphosate residues from pre-harvest desiccation, which may disrupt your gut microbiome and cause problems. Learn more.

• Ancestors used fermentation to remove glyphosate from bread
• Today’s bread has less fiber than ancestral varieties

5 How often should you floss to significantly lower your risk of stroke and heart-related complications?

• Only on days when you eat sugary foods to prevent cavities
• Once a month to maintain basic oral hygiene
• At least once a week to reduce inflammation and related risks
  

  Flossing at least once a week has been shown to lower the risk of ischemic stroke by 22% and heart-related strokes by 44%, making it a simple and effective habit for reducing inflammation and cardiovascular risks. Learn more.

• Twice a day, even if you brush regularly, to maximize benefits

6 What is the most effective first step you can take to protect your cardiovascular health from the harmful effects of aspartame?

• Cut out aspartame and other artificial sweeteners from your diet
  

  Eliminating aspartame and other artificial sweeteners is crucial to stop the insulin spikes and inflammation that harm your blood vessels, setting the foundation for improved cardiovascular health. Learn more.

• Increase your intake of fermented foods to balance gut bacteria
• Consume more natural sugars, like honey, to stabilize insulin levels
• Add targeted carbohydrates, like potatoes, to your daily meals

7 How can you keep your health strong when low mitochondrial energy blocks cell death and triggers inflammation?

• Increase fiber to improve gut bacteria and reduce inflammation
• Use antibiotics to limit NLRP3-related bacterial triggers
• Boost carbs to enhance ATP and speed up cell repair
• Cut vegetable oils to maintain ATP production and proper cell death
  

  Suppressed mitochondrial ATP production prevents apoptosis and activates the NLRP3 inflammasome, driving inflammation and disease, so cutting seed oils supports ATP production to reduce these risks. Learn more.

8 What dietary change can you make to help reduce the chronic inflammation driving prostate enlargement?

• Increase your intake of omega-3 fats from fish oil supplements
• Reduce your consumption of omega-6 fats, such as linoleic acid found in vegetable oils
  

  Cutting back on omega-6 fats, particularly linoleic acid in vegetable oils, helps decrease chronic inflammation, which fuels prostate enlargement and supports better hormone balance. Learn more.

• Add more healthy carbohydrates to stabilize hormone levels
• Focus on eating more organic processed foods to improve metabolic health

9 How can genipin, a compound from gardenia plants, help you if you have familial dysautonomia, a rare genetic disorder?

• By reducing inflammation in your blood vessels to improve circulation
• By controlling blood sugar levels to prevent diabetic complications
• By restoring nerve development and reducing neurodegeneration
  

  Genipin helps those with familial dysautonomia by promoting nerve repair and axon regeneration, while also reducing the degeneration of nerve cells, offering hope for managing this rare disorder. Learn more.

• By boosting your immune system to fight infections

10 How do probiotics protect your brain from inflammation?

• By restoring a healthy balance of gut bacteria, which reduces neuroinflammation
  

  Probiotics restore a healthy gut bacteria balance, reducing harmful substances like lipopolysaccharides (LPS) that trigger inflammation in the brain, protecting your brain health. Learn more.

• By enhancing your gut barrier strength to support overall cognitive resilience
• By improving your nutrient absorption to promote better brain cell function
• By reducing gut discomfort to indirectly ease mental stress levels

11 How can you increase the likelihood that a new health habit, like exercising daily, will become a permanent part of your routine?

• Choose a complex exercise routine to challenge yourself and stay motivated
• Perform the habit at different times each day to keep it flexible
• Link the habit to a specific daily trigger, like doing it at the same time every day
  

  Performing a habit at the same time daily and linking it to a specific trigger, such as brushing your teeth, strengthens consistency and helps the behavior become automatic, making it more likely to stick. Learn more.

• Rely on external motivation, such as a doctor’s recommendation, to stay committed

12 What can you do to increase your vitamin E intake during pregnancy to help reduce your newborn’s risk of food allergies?

• Take only a natural vitamin E supplement daily to boost immunity
• Focus on eating more organically processed foods fortified with vitamins
• Increase your use of vitamin E oils
• Eat more foods like pasture-raised eggs, grass fed beef liver and wild caught fish
  

  Eating vitamin E-rich foods such as pasture-raised eggs, grass fed beef liver and avocados provides the levels needed to stabilize immune responses and lower allergy risk in your newborn, supporting a healthy pregnancy. Learn more.

13 How can you protect yourself from benzodiazepine addiction?

• Use benzodiazepines sparsely for long periods to manage anxiety effectively
• Avoid benzodiazepines to prevent physical dependence and addiction
  

  Avoiding benzodiazepines prevents physical dependence and addiction, protecting you from withdrawal symptoms, worsened anxiety, or deadly overdoses, especially when mixed with opioids. Learn more.

• Avoid frequent benzodiazepine use but monitor for dependence closely to prevent addiction
• Offset benzodiazepines with other medications to reduce addiction risk

14 What can you do daily to protect your brain against dementia, based on research showing its brain-boosting benefits?

• Sit still for an hour to relax your brain and reduce stress
• Eat more organic high sugar snacks to fuel your brain’s energy needs
• Take an hour-long brisk walk to reduce Alzheimer’s markers like tau tangles
  

  Walking briskly for an hour daily reduces key Alzheimer’s markers, such as tau tangles and amyloid plaques, while improving nerve fiber health, offering significant protection against cognitive decline. Learn more.

• Limit physical activity to prevent wear and tear on your brain

15 What can you do to maintain healthy vitamin B12 levels and support your brain function as you age?

• Avoid all animal products to keep your diet plant-based
• Rely solely on healthy carbs to boost your energy instead of B12
• Reduce your intake of dairy and meat to prevent B12 overload
• Include good B12 sources like grass fed meat and dairy in your diet
  

  Eating foods rich in vitamin B12, such as grass fed meat and dairy, helps maintain adequate levels, supporting brain function and preventing memory and focus issues as you age. Learn more.

16 Why is quality sleep important for maintaining your body’s cellular energy and health?

• It enables cellular repair by allowing mitochondria to restore and regenerate
  

  Quality sleep enables cellular repair by allowing mitochondria to restore and regenerate through processes like mitophagy, while also aligning your circadian rhythms to optimize energy production. Learn more.

• It helps your muscle cells recover faster after physical exercise
• It improves your digestion by regulating stomach acid levels
• It increases your body’s ability to store fat for energy

17 What can you do to improve your insulin sensitivity and support your metabolism, according to research on mangoes?

• Avoid all fruits to reduce sugar intake and inflammation
• Eat mangoes only once a year to limit natural sugar exposure
• Skip mangoes entirely to prevent blood sugar spikes
• Eat mangoes regularly to activate genes that boost antioxidant defenses
  

  Regularly consuming mangoes improves insulin sensitivity by activating genes that enhance your body’s natural antioxidant defenses, helping to reduce inflammation and support metabolic health. Learn more.

18 What can you do to protect your hearing function from the effects of chronic stress?

• Listen to loud music daily to keep your ears active
• Practice slow breathing to calm your brain and maintain sound clarity
  

  Slow breathing is a simple intervention that reduces stress, helping to protect your hearing by keeping your brain’s sound processing sharp and preventing everyday noises from seeming quieter. Learn more.

• Avoid all quiet environments to force your brain to adapt
• Ignore stress completely to prevent hearing changes

19 How can you increase your vitamin K2 intake through your diet?

• Add more leafy greens like spinach and kale to your meals
• Include fortified cereals and orange juice in your breakfast
• Eat more citrus fruits like oranges and grapefruits
• Consume fermented foods like natto, aged cheeses and grass fed dairy
  

  Good sources of vitamin K2 include fermented foods like natto, aged cheeses, egg yolks, grass fed dairy products and organic, grass fed beef, helping you boost your intake naturally. Learn more.

20 How can you ensure accurate thyroid testing to better understand your thyroid health?

• Take your thyroid medication right before the test to boost hormone levels
• Follow specific guidelines like fasting and testing between 6:00 a.m. and 9:00 a.m.
  

  Adhering to specific guidelines, such as fasting and testing between 6:00 a.m. and 9:00 a.m., ensures accurate thyroid test results, helping you assess your thyroid health reliably. Learn more.

• Eat a big meal before testing to stabilize your metabolism
• Ignore timing and supplements since they don’t affect results

21 Why does your microbiome play a critical role in supporting your immune system and overall wellness?

• It increases oxygen in your colon to promote harmful bacteria growth
• It weakens your gut barrier to allow more nutrients into your bloodstream
• It trains your immune system and helps prevent autoimmune diseases
  

  Your microbiome trains your immune system to maintain balance, reducing the risk of autoimmune diseases and inflammation, which supports your overall wellness. Learn more.

• It blocks all bacteria to keep your gut completely sterile