Happy Father’s Day to all men who play a caring role in the life of a child, and kudos for  all that you do. But let me ask you this: Do you take care of yourself? Typically, most men take better care of their cars than themselves. Most men wait until a symptom pops up, and by then the illness or disease has progressed.

I’m not going to give you a lecture about how you should make an appointment tomorrow to get a routine preventative check-up, but hopefully after going through the following list, you’ll see my point.

Take this quiz to see how much you really know about men’s health. 

1) As a man gets older, it’s almost inevitable that he:

1. loses interest in sex
2. has a difficult time maintaining an erection
3. doesn’t need to exercise as much
4. develops an enlarged prostate

2) To detect prostate cancer early, a man should:

1. have a colonoscopy
2. practice a monthly self prostate examination
3. have a digital rectal exam and PSA blood test
4. have a sonogram of his prostate every year

3) Impotence can result from:

1. drinking too much alcohol
2. recreational drug use (smoking marijuana)
3. high blood pressure
4. diabetes
5. all of the above

4) 75% of prostate cancer occurs in:

1. Hispanic men
2. men over 65
3. men who eat a low-fat diet
4. men with low testosterone levels

5) The most common cancer among men is:

1. prostate cancer
2. lung cancer
3. skin cancer
4. colon cancer

6) Which racial/ethnic group is most likely to develop prostate cancer?

1. Caucasian
2. Asian
3. Hispanic
4. African-American

7) A common risk factor for developing prostate cancer is:

1. lack of exercise
2. high fat diet
3. high testosterone levels
4. growing older
5. all of the above

8) What beverage has been found to support prostate health?

1. beer
2. green tea
3. orange juice
4. red wine

9) What common food has been found to support prostate health?

1. oranges
2. tomatoes
3. beef
4. cheese

10) Which disease is considered the number one cause of death among American males?

1. diabetes
2. prostate cancer
3. obesity
4. cardiovascular disease

11) Cardiovascular disease kills far more men and women than cancer.

1. True
2. False

12) Eating a diet that includes plenty of pasta, potatoes and white rice can reduce your risk of heart disease.

1. True
2. False

13) The heart muscle is totally responsible for maintaining normal blood pressure levels.

1. True
2. False

14) Cardiovascular disease is hereditary and cannot be prevented.

1. True
2. False

15) CVD starts in the teenage years.

1. True
2. False

16) An aspirin a day is the best way to thin the blood, in order to reduce the chance of stroke and heart attack.

1. True
2. False

17) High blood cholesterol is the best overall indicator of cardiovascular disease.

1. True
2. False

18) Statistics show that the stress of caregiving can result in chronic disease for the caregiver and take as many as ten years off one’s life.

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Answers:

1) d

2) g

3) e- all of the above. Not smoking, eating a healthy diet, not overdoing it when it comes to drinking, regular exercise, getting enough sleep, will all help support normal blood flow. Also, Ginkgo biloba extract helps support normal blood flow to the penis

4) b. Simply growing older increases a man’s risk. Seventy-five percent of prostate cancer occurs in men over 65 with only 7% diagnosed in men under 60 years of age.

5) c. Skin cancer is the number one form of cancer in the US. Prostate cancer is the most common cancer among men next to skin cancer and the second leading cause of cancer death in men after lung cancer.

6) d. African-American males have the highest incidence of prostate cancer, a third higher than white males, and African-American males are also twice as likely to die from it.

7) e. Also, men who have higher testosterone levels, or who eat a high fat diet have been shown to have an increased risk of developing prostate cancer.

8) b. Green tea is chock full of antioxidants that have been shown to reduce cancer. Red wine, on the other hand, is a natural preventative against cardiovascular disease.

9) b. Tomatoes contain lycopene, especially potent in the fight against prostate cancer.

10) d. Among major disease groups, heart disease is the leading cause of death within the elderly population.

11) True. Although cancer fears are more common, cardiovascular disease is the chief cause of death and disability in the United States today. It affects close to 60 million Americans and every year more than a million people suffer from new or recurrent heart attacks. In fact,every 20 seconds a person in the United States has a heart attack, and one-third of these attacks leads to death. The American Heart Association calls CVD “the silent epidemic.”

12) False. For years we were told that a heart-healthy diet included foods low in fat and high in carbohydrates, such as fruits, veggies, legumes, grains and other starches. But now experts are saying that overloading on carbohydrates (especially the wrong kind) can make you fat and increase your risk of heart disease. Eating foods with a high glycemic index—such as cookies, cake, candy, bagels, pasta, white rice, refined bread and grains, potatoes and potato chips—raises blood sugar and insulin levels, which in turn stimulates the production of triglycerides (blood fats that raise heart disease risk).

13) False. Your kidneys, blood vessels and heart all control blood pressure. In order to maintain healthy blood pressure and keep blood moving, the walls of your arteries, capillaries and veins need to be flexible and strong. Research has shown that nutrients such as Co-Q10, hawthorne, red wine polyphenols, notoginseng (a cousin of ginseng), and astragalus help strengthen blood flow throughout the entire body, maintaining healthy blood pressure. In addition, EDTA (the main ingredient in Health Freedom Nutrition’s Cardio Clear) removes heavy metals and toxins that interfere with the production of nitric oxide, a major factor in controlling blood pressure.

14) False. Even if there’s heart disease in your family, and even if you have high cholesterol, combining an regular exercise program with and a Mediterranean based diet and healthy lifestyle (no smoking, reduced alcohol consumption) can dramatically reduce your risk of heart attack and stroke.

15) True. Dr. Scoot Calig, M.D., a pediatrician at West Hills Medical Center and an assistant clinical professor at the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, says, “It’s important to keep in mind that the development of cardiovascular disease begins in the teenage years. Studies have shown that by that time, arterial plaque formation is well under way.”  Just another reason to exercise, eat a healthy diet, and take nutritional supplements such as oral EDTA to strengthen the heart and arteries and clear out toxic metals that inhibit the production of nitric oxide.

16) False. For years, aspirin has been prescribed after a heart attack, in order to avoid a subsequent heart attack. And now, a panel of experts is recommending aspirin as a precaution against heart disease for all at-risk, healthy adults over 40. But Alfred Berg, M.D., of the University of Washington, head of the panel says, “Do not assume that an aspirin a day is without risk.” Aspirin can cause intestinal bleeding and hemorrhagic stroke. Herbs such as hawthorne, nattokinase, garlic and Ginkgo biloba have the ability to thin the blood like aspirin, without damaging the esophageal and intestinal linings, or exacerbating ulcers.

17) False. Homocysteine—a by-product of the amino acid methionine— is a more sensitive indicator of cardiovascular health than cholesterol. Too much of it increases injury to arterial walls, as well as accelerates oxidation and accumulation of cholesterol in blood vessel. The good news is that folic acid, and vitamins B6 and B12 help keep homocysteine levels low!

18) True—for men and women! Click here to read 16 Stress-busters to nourish your body, mind and soul”

Have a happy Father’s Day, and please take care of your health so you can continue to enjoy life and be a support and friend to everyone who loves you.

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For dozens of general health tips and caregiving help read “Calmer Waters: The Caregiver’s Journey Through Alzheimer’s and Dementia  by Barbra Cohn.