This MCQ module is based on: Lifestyle Diseases and Yoga
TOPIC 9 OF 50
Lifestyle Diseases and Yoga
🎓 Class 8
Science
CBSE
Theory
Ch 3 — Synthetic Fibres and Plastics
⏱ ~28 min
🌐 Language: [gtranslate]
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3.6 Lifestyle Diseases — The Modern Challenge
A hundred years ago, most Indians died of infectious diseases like TB, cholera, and plague. Today, the biggest killers are lifestyle diseases that grow slowly from our everyday habits.
📊 A worrying fact from the NCERT Bulletin Board: 28.6% of Indian adults were found to have diabetes or pre-diabetes in a recent large study. That means nearly one in three people around you is living with a blood-sugar problem — and many don't even know it.
Six Common Lifestyle Diseases
Diabetes
Blood sugar stays too high because the body can't use insulin well. Causes: excess sugar, inactivity, obesity, genetics.
Hypertension
"High BP" — the silent killer. Extra salt, stress, and inactivity push blood pressure up and damage vessels over years.
Heart disease
The world's #1 killer. Prevented by reducing saturated fat, not smoking, and exercising regularly.
Cancer
Uncontrolled cell growth. Risk drops with no tobacco, healthy diet, and early detection through screening.
Obesity
Excess body fat — a gateway to diabetes, heart disease, and joint problems. Eat mindfully, move daily.
Mental health
Stress, anxiety, depression are real illnesses. Talk to a trusted adult, sleep well, practise mindfulness.
3.7 Diet and Health — Food as Medicine
An ancient Indian proverb says: "Let food be thy medicine, and medicine be thy food." What we eat every day shapes our long-term health more than almost anything else.
📊 Bulletin Board fact: Most Indians consume too much salt (almost double the WHO limit) and too much added sugar (especially from sweets, fizzy drinks, and packaged snacks). Cutting both in half is one of the simplest ways to protect your heart and kidneys.
Traditional Indian Wisdom 🌿
For thousands of years, Indian households have known about healing foods. Many of these remedies are now being confirmed by modern science:
Haldi + Milk
Turmeric contains curcumin, a natural anti-inflammatory. Drink for colds, injuries, or general immunity.
Ginger + Honey
Classic remedy for cough and sore throat. Ginger soothes; honey coats the throat and has mild antibacterial action.
Tulsi leaves
Rich in antioxidants. Traditionally chewed or brewed as tea during colds and seasonal fevers.
Garlic & neem
Garlic supports heart health; neem has antibacterial and anti-parasitic properties.
3.8 Physical Activity and Yoga
🏃 WHO recommendation: Children and teenagers should get at least 60 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous activity every day — running, cycling, swimming, dancing, team sports, or active play.
Why exercise is magical
- Builds strong muscles and bones
- Improves heart and lung function
- Boosts immunity — more WBCs circulate after exercise
- Releases endorphins — the "feel good" brain chemicals that fight stress and depression
- Improves sleep quality
- Sharpens focus and memory for schoolwork
Yoga — India's Gift to the World 🧘
Yoga is a 5,000-year-old Indian practice that brings together body, breath, and mind. Unlike many exercises, yoga is gentle on the joints, can be done anywhere, and has measurable benefits for both physical and mental health.
📊 Bulletin Board: Studies show that regular yoga reduces anxiety and increases concentration — both of which matter hugely for students.
Three pillars of yoga
- Asanas (postures) — e.g. Surya Namaskar, Tadasana, Vrikshasana, Bhujangasana
- Pranayama (breathing techniques) — e.g. Anulom-Vilom, Bhramari
- Meditation (dhyana) — calming the mind through focus and stillness
3.9 Air Pollution and Health
Air pollution has become a public health emergency in many Indian cities. The air itself has become a source of disease.
Sources
Vehicle exhaust, factories, construction dust, burning of crop residue, household wood-fires.
Health effects
Asthma, bronchitis, lung cancer, heart attacks, low birth weight, stunted lung growth in children.
Solutions
CNG and electric vehicles, public transport, tree plantation, LPG cooking, pollution-masks on bad days.
Know a Scientist — Dr. Kamal Ranadive
👩🔬
Dr. Kamal Ranadive
1917–2001 • Pune / Mumbai, India
A pioneering Indian biomedical researcher, Dr. Ranadive founded India's first tissue culture laboratory. Her work showed how certain hormones and viruses are linked to cancer — opening the door to better prevention and treatment. She also founded the Indian Women Scientists' Association to inspire girls into science. On her 104th birth anniversary in 2021, Google honoured her with a Doodle.
🎯 Interactive: My Healthy Day Plan L6 Create
Design your ideal healthy day by choosing an activity for each time slot. Then see your health rating!
6:30 AM
8:00 AM
1:00 PM
4:30 PM
7:30 PM
10:00 PM
Select your choices above to see your day rating.
🔬 Activity 3.3 — Family Salt & Sugar AuditL4 Analyse
🤔 Predict first: How much salt and sugar does your family use in a week?
- With a parent, note the brand-pack salt and sugar at the start of the week. Record weights.
- Do not buy more for 7 days. At the end of the week, weigh again.
- Divide salt used by 7 × number of family members. Compare with WHO limit of 5 g salt/person/day.
- Repeat for sugar (WHO limit ≈ 25 g/person/day).
- Discuss with family: can we reduce? How?
Typical finding: Most Indian families use 8–11 g salt per person per day — nearly double the WHO limit. Small changes — not adding extra salt at the table, avoiding packaged snacks, cutting pickles — can bring this down quickly.
📋 Competency-Based Questions
Tara's grandfather, 62, recently started feeling tired, thirsty, and had to urinate often. Tests showed high blood sugar — the doctor diagnosed type-2 diabetes. Grandfather's habits: a sweet tooth, two spoons of sugar in tea three times a day, almost no exercise, long TV hours. Tara wants to help him recover.
Q1. L2 Understand Type-2 diabetes is an example of:
Answer: B. Type-2 diabetes results mainly from lifestyle factors (diet, inactivity, obesity) and genetics — it is non-communicable.
Q2. L1 Remember State any two benefits of yoga that the Bulletin Board highlights. (2 marks)
Answer: Yoga reduces anxiety and increases concentration. (Also: better flexibility, improved sleep, balanced breathing.)
Q3. L3 Apply Suggest four specific lifestyle changes Tara can help her grandfather adopt. (4 marks)
Answer: (1) Replace sugar in tea with less or none; avoid sweets. (2) A 30-minute walk after lunch & dinner. (3) Daily Surya Namaskar or gentle yoga. (4) Replace TV binge with family time / reading. (5) Regular sugar checks. (Any four.)
Q4. L4 Analyse Explain why air pollution in cities is called a "public health emergency". (3 marks)
Answer: Polluted air contains fine particles (PM 2.5), SO₂, NOₓ that enter the lungs. Long-term exposure causes asthma, bronchitis, lung cancer, heart disease, and stunts lung growth in children. Because millions of people breathe the same air simultaneously, the burden is "public" — it affects entire populations, healthcare systems, and economies. Quick collective action is needed, making it an emergency.
Q5. L6 Create HOT: Dr. Kamal Ranadive linked viruses and hormones to cancer. Propose one scientific question you would investigate about cancer today. (3 marks)
Hint: Good questions start with "Does…", "How…", "Why…". Examples: "Does early screening for oral cancer among tobacco users lower death rates in Indian villages?" or "How does air pollution affect lung cancer rates in children compared to adults?" Keep it specific, measurable, and ethical.
🔗 Assertion–Reason Questions
Assertion (A): Lifestyle diseases are spreading from one person to another through touch.
Reason (R): Lifestyle diseases result from diet, activity, stress, and habits, not from pathogens.
Answer: D. A is false — lifestyle diseases don't spread by contact. R is true and explains why A is false.
Assertion (A): Regular yoga can help students concentrate better in class.
Reason (R): Pranayama and meditation calm the nervous system and improve focus.
Answer: A. Both are correct, and R is the reason A works.
Assertion (A): Excess salt in the diet is linked to high blood pressure.
Reason (R): Extra salt makes the body hold more water, raising the volume of blood and pressure in vessels.
Answer: A. Both true, and R gives the physiological reason.
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