B1.1 Keeping healthy

A combination of a balanced diet and regular exercise is needed to help keep the body healthy. Our bodies provide an excellent environment for many microbes which can make us ill once they are inside us. Our bodies need to stop most microbes getting in and deal with any microbes which do get in. Vaccination can be used to prevent infection.

How our bodies defend themselves against infectious diseases - Candidates should use their skills, knowledge and understanding to: ■ relate the contribution of Semmelweis in controlling infection to solving modern problems with the spread of infection in hospitals ■ explain how the treatment of disease has changed as a result of increased understanding of the action of antibiotics and immunity ■ evaluate the consequences of mutations of bacteria and viruses in relation to epidemics and

Diet and exercise - Healthy diet A healthy diet contains the right balance of the different foods you need and the right amount of energy. Carbohydrates, fats and proteins are used by the body to release energy and to build cells. Mineral ions and vitamins are needed in small amounts for healthy functioning of the body. Learning activity: use food labels to discuss saturated and unsaturated fats and

Candidates should use their skills, knowledge and understanding to:
■ evaluate information about the effect of food on health
■ evaluate information about the effect of lifestyle on development of disease
■ analyse and evaluate claims made by slimming programmes, and slimming products.

Suggested ideas for practical work to develop skills and understanding include the following:

■ investigate the effectiveness of various antibiotic discs in killing bacteria
■ growing microorganisms in Petri dishes to demonstrate sterile technique and growing pure cultures
■ the use of pre-inoculated agar in Petri dishes to evaluate the effect of disinfectants and antibiotics
■ computer simulations to model the effect of: balanced and unbalanced diets and exercise; the growth of bacterial colonies in varying conditions; action of the immune system and the effect of antibiotics and vaccines.

Biology B1.1 Quizzes from Footprints science (click here)