Behind the Headlines 2014 Quiz of the Year

In 2014, Behind the Headlines covered more than 500 health stories that made it into the mainstream media.

Test your knowledge of 2014's health news with our month-by-month quiz.

If you've been paying attention, you should find this quiz both easy and fun.

Answers are at the foot of the page (no peeking!).

In January 2014's health news...

What was said to help make bones stronger?

1) Swimming
2) Marriage
3) Listening to classical music

Warnings were issued about the possible return of what?

1) Swine flu
2) The Black Death
3) Smallpox

In February 2014's health news...

What activity was said to lower your sense of wellbeing?

1) "Bingeing" on TV box sets
2) Reading other people's posts on Twitter
3) Commuting

What video game was used to reduce food cravings?

1) Tetris
2) Minecraft
3) Modern Warfare 3

In March 2014's health news...

What was cited as a potential weapon against the obesity epidemic?

1) Sunflower seeds
2) Melons
3) Seaweed

What antisocial activity was said to trigger potentially harmful by-products?

1) Listening to loud music on smartphones
2) Not cleaning up your dog's poo
3) Peeing in swimming pools

In April 2014's health news...

What quintessentially English brand was claimed to be an effective alternative to statins?

1) Marmite
2) HP Sauce
3) Earl Grey tea

What activity was said to prevent depression in older people?

1) Sex
2) Using the internet
3) Joining a book club

In May 2014's health news...

England fans were warned about what in the run-up to the World Cup in Brazil?

1) Sexually transmitted infections
2) Depression
3) Dengue fever

What was said to be better than patches and gum as an aid to quitting smoking?

1) E-cigarettes
2) Hypnotherapy
3) Nicotine inhalers

In June 2014's health news...

A new invention that can predict strokes was unveiled – what was it?

1) A smartphone app
2) A microwave helmet
3) A retinal scanner

What was said to damage men's sperm quality?

1) Wearing Lycra cycling shorts
2) Smoking cannabis
3) Drinking energy drinks

In July 2014's health news...

Which technology company carried out a controversial experiment on some of its users?

1) Facebook
2) Apple
3) Twitter

What flavouring was said to make people feel fuller?

1) Garlic
2) Umami
3) Curry powder

In August 2014's health news...

Which NHS service was said to be a waste of time by one team of researchers?

1) NHS Health Checks
2) NHS Choices
3) The NHS Bowel Cancer Screening Programme

Injections of what kitchen staple were said (wrongly) to be a potential cure for cancer?

1) Salt
2) Pepper
3) Olive oil

In September 2014's health news...

One newspaper claimed eating a certain food could trigger a stroke within minutes. What food was this?

1) Kebab
2) Deep-fried Mars bar
3) Bacon sandwich

What old wives' tale may have turned out to be correct?

1) Going outside with wet hair can give you a cold
2) Honey can be used to treat infection
3) Chocolate can help relieve symptoms of premenstrual syndrome (PMS)

In October 2014's health news...

What "doesn't exist", according to Italian researchers?

1) The vaginal orgasm
2) The male midlife crisis
3) Love at first sight

What was said to protect against prostate cancer?

1) Having a cold shower at least once a week
2) A Norwegian-style diet with lots of fish, game and preserved meat
3) Multiple sexual partners – at least 21 over the course of a lifetime

In November 2014's health news...

Watching what classic comedy was said to help prevent vision loss?

1) Only Fools and Horses
2) George and Mildred
3) Dad's Army

What was reported to spread more than 80 million bacteria?

1) Drinking somebody else's pint
2) A French kiss (aka a "snog")
3) A sneeze

In December 2014's health news...

What seems to be becoming less deadly over time?

1) Rabies
2) Anthrax
3) HIV

What could potentially save the NHS millions of pounds a year?

1) Running operating theatres on a 24-hour-a-day basis
2) More breastfeeding
3) Adding fluoride to all of the English water supply

Answers

January

What was said to help make bones stronger?

2) Marriage – a US study found married men had increased bone mineral density compared with their single or divorced counterparts

Warnings were issued about the possible return of what?

2) The Black Death – DNA samples showed there have been multiple strains of the Black Death during human history, suggesting new strains could emerge in the future

February

What activity was said to lower your sense of wellbeing?

3) Commuting – a report compiled by the Office for National Statistics found daily commuting took a toll on most commuters' sense of wellbeing

What video game was used to reduce food cravings?

1) Tetris – a small study found after playing Tetris for three minutes, participants reported a reduction in immediate cravings for food and drink by around 20%

March

What was cited as a potential weapon against the obesity epidemic?

3) Seaweed – lab research suggests alginates, a substance found in seaweed, may reduce the amount of fat the body digests

What antisocial activity was said to trigger potentially harmful by-products?

3) Peeing in swimming pools – the mixture of urine and chlorinated swimming pool water was shown to produce potentially harmful chemicals known as nitrogen-containing disinfection by-products

April

What quintessentially English brand was claimed to be an effective alternative to statins?

3) Earl Grey tea – the research involved an extract called HMGF, taken from the bergamot fruit, a citrus fruit used to flavour teas such as Earl Grey; but the results (in rats) were inconclusive

What activity was said to prevent depression in older people?

2) Using the internet – a survey of 3,075 retired people found regular internet use was associated with a lower risk of depression

May

England fans were warned about what in the run-up to the World Cup in Brazil?

3) Dengue fever – prediction models suggested mosquito activity could combine with weather patterns to create the ideal environment for the spread of dengue fever in the city of Recife (but as England failed to come top of their group, they never played in the city)

What was said to be better than patches and gum as a smoking quitting aid?

1) E-cigarettes – a UK study found people who used e-cigs were 60% more likely to quit than those who tried nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) patches or gum, or willpower alone

June

A new invention that can predict strokes was unveiled. What was it?

2) A microwave helmet – the helmet uses a microwave scattering technique to check if bleeding has occurred inside the brain

What was said to damage men's sperm quality?

2) Smoking cannabis – researchers found cannabis use was associated with a higher rate of abnormal morphology (the shape of individual sperm)

July

Which technology company carried out a controversial experiment on some of its users?

1) Facebook – in a controversial psychological experiment, Facebook filtered the content that appeared on some users' news feeds to see if this could have an emotional effect

What flavouring was said to make people feel fuller?

2) Umami – umami, a flavour associated with Japanese food, was found to reduce food cravings

August

Which NHS service was said to be a waste of time by one team of researchers?

1) NHS Health Checks – researchers found no difference in the prevalence of diseases such as diabetes in GP practices that offer NHS Health Checks

Injections of what kitchen staple were said (wrongly) to be a potential cancer cure?

1) Salt – while researchers did find a way to use salt to kill cancerous cells (in a lab), this is a long way from a cure for cancer

September