14 Random Health Facts You Never Knew

1) Motorists who talk on cell phones are more impaired than drunk drivers with blood-alcohol levels exceeding .08.

2) Banging your head against a wall burns 150 calories an hour.

3) It's not just coughs and sneezes that spread diseases. One single bacteria cell can multiply to become more than 8 million cells in less than 24 hours. Just imagine what's on the toilet door handle you just touched, the taps and even on other people's hands...

4) The human brain stops growing at the age of 18.

5) There are more than 1,000 chemicals in a cup of coffee; of these, only 26 have been tested, and half caused cancer in rats.

6) In 1815 French chemist Michael Eugene Chevreul realized the first link between diabetes and sugar metabolism when he discovered that the urine of a diabetic was identical to grape sugar.

7) There are more bacteria in your mouth than there are people in the world.

8) According to U.S. FDA standards,1 cup of orange juice is allowed to contain 10 fruit fly eggs, but only 2 maggots.

9) You burn more calories sleeping than you do watching television.

10) According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 18 million courses of antibiotics are prescribed for the common cold in the United States per year. Research shows that colds are caused by viruses. 50 million unnecessary antibiotics are prescribed for viral respiratory infections.

11) Right-handed people live, on average, nine years longer than left-handed people.

12) You are about 1 centimeter taller in the morning than in the evening.

13) During your lifetime, you'll eat about 60,000 pounds of food — that's the weight of about 6 elephants.

14) Flies can't eat solid food. They vomit on food to make it soft before sucking it back up. Flies will eat anything from poo, to your roast dinner. Speaking of poo, a typical bowel movement can contain up to 100 billion potentially disease-causing organisms some of which end up in the air and on the toilet even after flushing - even if the lid is put down. When you're cleaning special attention should be paid to anything likely to be touched or contaminated with feces. This includes lavatory seats, flush handles, door handles, wash basins, taps, floors, tiling, light switches, potties, baby-changing mats etc.