Moderate drink keeps disease away

 　　BEIJING, Sept. 8 (Xinhuanet) -- Middle-aged¹ white women drinking alcohol moderately are more likely to stay healthy than nondrinkers, according to a new study from Harvard.

　　The study has followed about 14,000 mostly white women since 1976.

　　As a result, compared with teetotalers, those who had 3 to 15 alcoholic² drinks weekly in their late 50s were 28 percent higher of being free from physical disability, chronic³ illness, mental health problems, and cognitive⁴ decline at the age of 70.

　　Even having just one or two drinks per week increased a woman's odds⁵ of good health by 11 percent.

　　However, women should be aware that even moderate drinking has been linked to an increased risk of breast cancer, said Qi Sun, M.D., a lead author of the study and a nutrition researcher at the Harvard School of Public Health.

　　These findings don't necessarily apply to men or to nonwhite women. But they reinforced the evidence for the health benefits of moderate drinking.

1 middle-aged   

adj.中年的

参考例句：

• I noticed two middle-aged passengers.我注意到两个中年乘客。
• The new skin balm was welcome by middle-aged women.这种新护肤香膏受到了中年妇女的欢迎。

2 alcoholic   

adj.（含）酒精的，由酒精引起的；n.酗酒者

参考例句：

• The alcoholic strength of brandy far exceeds that of wine.白兰地的酒精浓度远远超过葡萄酒。
• Alcoholic drinks act as a poison to a child.酒精饮料对小孩犹如毒药。

3 chronic   

adj.(疾病)长期未愈的，慢性的；极坏的

参考例句：

• Famine differs from chronic malnutrition.饥荒不同于慢性营养不良。
• Chronic poisoning may lead to death from inanition.慢性中毒也可能由虚弱导致死亡。

4 cognitive   

adj.认知的，认识的，有感知的

参考例句：

• As children grow older,their cognitive processes become sharper.孩子们越长越大，他们的认知过程变得更为敏锐。
• The cognitive psychologist is like the tinker who wants to know how a clock works.认知心理学者倒很像一个需要通晓钟表如何运转的钟表修理匠。

5 odds   

n.让步，机率，可能性，比率；胜败优劣之别

参考例句：

• The odds are 5 to 1 that she will win.她获胜的机会是五比一。
• Do you know the odds of winning the lottery once?你知道赢得一次彩票的几率多大吗？