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
One newspaper claimed eating a certain food could trigger a stroke within minutes. What food was this?
2) Deep-fried Mars bar – this (allegedly) staple Scottish snack was found to slightly reduce the flow of oxygen-rich blood to the brain, an effect highly unlikely to trigger an actual stroke
What old wives' tale may have turned out to be correct?
2) Honey can be used to treat infection – "friendly" bacteria found in fresh honey was found to be effective in slowing the growth of drug-resistant bacteria such as MRSA
October
What "doesn't exist", according to Italian researchers?
1) The vaginal orgasm – according to two Italian sexologists, the vaginal orgasm, an orgasm that occurs during penetrative sex, "doesn't exist"; they argue female orgasm can only be achieved during oral sex or masturbation
What was said to protect against prostate cancer?
3) Multiple sexual partners: at least 21 over the course of a lifetime – a Canadian study came up with the very precise figure of 21 or more sexual partners to reduce prostate cancer risk (20 doesn't count)
November
Watching what classic comedy was said to help prevent vision loss?
3) Dad's Army – in fact, a clip from Dad's Army was just one of many visual cues used in an experiment to track differences in eye movements in people with glaucoma compared with people with normal vision
What was reported to spread more than 80 million bacteria?
2) A French kiss (aka a "snog") – an intimate kiss lasting at least 10 seconds was estimated to transfer 80 million bacteria between partners
December
What seems to be becoming less deadly over time?
3) HIV – strains of HIV in South Africa and Botswana were found to be less virulent than other strains; the virus could be adapting as a result of natural selection (viruses that kill all of their host population don't last long in evolutionary terms)
What could potentially save the NHS millions of pounds a year?
2) More breastfeeding – a modelling study estimated a reduction in childhood diseases, as well as breast cancer rates, would save the NHS millions of pounds
Scores:
- 0-2: Doctor Leo Spaceman (30 Rock)
- 3-5: Doctor Douglas "Doogie" Howser (Doogie Howser, M.D.)
- 6-8: Doctor Harold Legg (Eastenders)
- 9-11: Doctor Abby Lockhart (ER)
- 12-15: Doctor Miranda Bailey (Grey's Anatomy)
- 16-19: Doctor Gregory House (House)
- 20-23: Doctor Zachary Smith (Lost in Space)
- 24: Nurse Jackie (Nurse Jackie)
Thanks for taking part. We hope you had fun and have a happy 2015.
Edited by NHS Choices. Follow Behind the Headlines on Twitter.
