DO YOU KNOW YOUR VITAMIN ABCs? - quiz and answers

Nutrition Action Healthletter, Sept, 1999

B-VITAMINS

1. The B-vitamin folate may help prevent all but one of the following. Which one?

a. heart disease b. stroke c. prostate cancer d. colon cancer e. birth defects

2. If you are older than 55, which is the best source of vitamin B-12?

a. milk b. poultry c. eggs d. green leafy vegetables e. a vitamin supplement

3. All but one of the following can be a sign of vitamin B-12 deficiency. Which one isn't?

a. memory loss b. excessive thirst c. mental confusion d. blurred vision e. tingling in the feet

4. Which B-vitamin can cause nerve damage if taken in high doses?

a. thiamin (B-1) b. riboflavin (B-2) c. niacin (B-3) d. pyridoxine (B-6)

5. All but one of the following may lower the risk of heart disease. Which one doesn't?

a. vitamin B-2 b. vitamin B-6 c. vitamin E d. folate e. fiber-rich foods

VITAMIN D & CALCIUM

6. Getting enough calcium may help cut the risk of which cancer?

a. breast cancer b. bladder cancer c. colon cancer d. prostate cancer

7. People over age 50 should get 1,200 mg of calcium a day. That's the amount in all but one of the following. Which one doesn't have that much?

a. four cups of milk b. six ounces of cheddar cheese c. nine cups of cottage cheese d. five cups of cooked broccoli e. four cups of calcium-fortified orange juice

8. What's the maximum daily dose of calcium that's considered safe?

a. 1,500 mg b. 2,500 mg c. 3,500 mg d. 4,500 mg e. no limit

9. Vitamin D may help prevent or treat all but one of the following. Which one?

a. high blood pressure b. hip fractures c. osteoarthritis d. osteoporosis

10. If you're middle-aged, all but one of the following can supply a day's worth of vitamin D. Which one can't?

a. a multivitamin b. a highly fortified cereal like Product 19 or Total c. four glasses of milk d. exposing your hands, face, and arms to the sun for five to ten minutes two or three times a week in the summer months (anywhere) or at any time of the year (in the South)

OTHER VITAMINS & MINERALS

11. All but one of the following help prevent high blood pressure. Which one doesn't?

a. limiting sodium (salt) b. consuming enough potassium c. getting enough vitamin E d. eating enough fruits and vegetables e. getting enough exercise

12. All but one of these foods are good sources of potassium. Which one isn't?

a. bananas b. milk c. dry beans d. rye bread e. chicken

13. Though the evidence is sometimes shaky, too much iron can raise the risk of all but one of the following. Which one?

a. memory loss b. heart disease c. cancer d. liver damage

14. Evidence suggests that all but one of the following lower your risk of diabetes. Which one doesn't?

a. staying lean b. eating fiber-rich foods c. eating enough magnesium d. eating enough potassium e. getting enough exercise

15. Evidence indicates that all but one of the following may cut the risk of prostate cancer. Which one doesn't?

a. magnesium b. lycopene c. selenium d. vitamins E e. eating less meat

16. Which is the best source of vitamin E?

a. whole-wheat bread b. olive oil c. broccoli d. almonds e. beans

17. Which can impair the immune system if taken in large doses?

a. copper b. iron c. zinc d. vitamin A

18. According to the latest estimates, how much vitamin C do most people need each day?

a. 60 mg b. 200 mg c. 500 mg d. 1,000 mg e. 5,000 mg

19. All but one of the following appear to help strengthen bones. Which one doesn't?

a. vitamin D b. vitamin K c. vitamin E d. fluoride

20. A deficiency of which nutrient can't be detected by a blood test?

a. vitamin B-12 b. vitamin D c. zinc d. iron

21. Which is the best source of selenium?

a. whole-wheat bread b. spinach c. fortified breakfast cereal d. a supplement

22. High doses of vitamin A or its precursor (betacarotene) may raise the risk of all but one of the following. Which one?

a. colon cancer b. lung cancer c. liver damage d. birth defects

23. Which one of the following appears to curb the muscle damage caused by exercise in people older than 55?

a. vitamin A b. vitamin B-1 c. vitamin C d. vitamin E

24. All but one of these foods are good sources of magnesium. Which one isn't?

a. bran cereal b. cantaloupe c. spinach d. black beans e. yogurt

MISCELLANEOUS

25. Which food may protect your eyes as you age?

a. collard greens b. soybeans c. purple grape juice d. carrots

26. Which supplement is most likely to do what its proponents claim it does?

a. echinacea b. lecithin c. saw palmetto d. DHEA

27. Which supplement is least likely to do what its proponents claim it does?

a. glucosamine b. St. John's wort c. kava kava d. ginseng

28. All but one of the following are rich sources of omega-3 fats. Which one is only a minor source?

a. cod b. sardines c. rainbow trout d. salmon

29. Adverse effects or contaminants have been reported for all but one of the following. Which one?

a. ephedra b. DHEA c. 5-HTP d. chondroitin

30. Which one of the following is most likely to improve your memory?

a. vitamin E b. phosphatidyl serine c. lecithin d. ginkgo biloba

ANSWERS

1. c. Women who could become pregnant should take a multivitamin with 400 mcg, the Daily Value for folate. That amount helps prevent neural tube birth defects. Though more studies are needed, the same level also appears to cut the risk of heart disease, stroke, and colon cancer.