Effect of Lifestyle on Disease
Get to grips with Effect of Lifestyle on Disease for GCSE Biology with this free worksheet and full mark scheme — Foundation and Higher exam-style questions with worked answers for AQA, Edexcel and OCR. Be ready to interpret data linking risk factors such as smoking, poor diet and alcohol to non-communicable diseases.
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These worksheets and mark schemes are original, written for Virtus Academy and checked against the current AQA, Edexcel and OCR specifications. Every worksheet comes with a full mark scheme.
Topic overview
Lifestyle choices have a substantial effect on the risk of developing non-communicable diseases, and the relationships are examined both scientifically and statistically.
A diet high in fat and sugar combined with little exercise leads to obesity, which increases the risk of type 2 diabetes. Smoking causes lung disease and lung cancer, and also damages the circulatory system. Alcohol affects the liver and brain function.
When interpreting data, be careful to distinguish correlation from cause. A correlation between two factors does not by itself prove that one causes the other, and questions frequently test whether you understand this.
Revision notes
Diet, exercise and obesity
A high-fat, high-sugar diet with little exercise causes obesity, a major risk factor for type 2 diabetes.
Obesity also raises blood pressure and increases the risk of cardiovascular disease. Regular exercise reduces these risks.
Smoking and alcohol
Smoking causes lung disease and lung cancer, and damages blood vessels, increasing the risk of cardiovascular disease. Smoking in pregnancy affects fetal development.
Excess alcohol damages the liver, causing cirrhosis, and affects brain function. Alcohol in pregnancy also affects fetal development.
Correlation and cause
A correlation means two factors change together, but that alone does not prove one causes the other.
A causal mechanism must be established. Questions may show data with a strong correlation and ask whether cause is proved — the answer is usually no, unless a mechanism is described.
Key points
- Obesity is a risk factor for type 2 diabetes.
- Smoking causes lung cancer and lung disease.
- Smoking damages the circulatory system.
- Excess alcohol damages the liver and brain.
- Correlation does not prove cause.
- Non-communicable diseases have a human and financial cost.
Worked examples
Example 1
Explain how a poor diet can lead to type 2 diabetes. [3 marks]
Model answer
A diet high in fat and sugar, combined with little exercise, leads to weight gain and obesity (1 mark). Obesity makes body cells less responsive to insulin (1 mark), so blood glucose cannot be controlled properly and type 2 diabetes develops (1 mark).
Example 2
A study shows a strong correlation between smoking and lung cancer. Explain why this alone does not prove that smoking causes lung cancer. [2 marks]
Model answer
A correlation only shows that the two factors are linked (1 mark); another factor could be responsible, so a causal mechanism must also be established before cause can be claimed (1 mark).
Example 3
Give two effects of excess alcohol consumption on the body. [2 marks]
Model answer
It damages the liver, causing cirrhosis (1 mark), and it affects brain function (1 mark).
Common mistakes
Treating a correlation as proof of cause.
A mechanism must be established. Correlation alone is not sufficient.
Saying obesity directly causes diabetes without a mechanism.
Explain that body cells become less responsive to insulin.
Confusing type 1 and type 2 diabetes.
Type 1 is a failure to produce insulin; type 2 is cells not responding to it.
Giving only lung effects for smoking.
It also damages the circulatory system and affects fetal development.
Exam tips
- Describe a mechanism, not just an association.
- Say correlation does not prove causation when interpreting data.
- Give the full range of effects for smoking and alcohol.
- Use the mark allocation to judge how many effects to give.
Key terms
- Risk factor
- Something that increases the chance of developing a disease.
- Obesity
- Being severely overweight, a major risk factor for several diseases.
- Correlation
- A relationship in which two factors change together.
- Cirrhosis
- Scarring of the liver caused by long-term alcohol damage.
Related topics
Written and reviewed against the current AQA, Edexcel and OCR specifications. Spotted an error? Let us know.