英语听力文摘 English Digest 721 过量补充维他命的危险

The Dangers Of Vitamin Supplements

Do you take your vitamins everyday? Be careful. Just as vitamin deficiency can make you sick, so can vitamin toxicity². Indeed, vitamins can be very dangerous if you take them in high quantities.

What “A” And “D” Have In Common

Though vitamins A and D are the most likely to make you sick if you take too much of them, they aren’t the only vitamins that can be dangerous. All vitamins have the potential to be toxic¹ if you ingest too much of them.

Part of the reason why A and D put you at higher risk than Vitamin C and others has to do with the way vitamins are dissolved. Vitamin C dissolves in water. Thus, if you take excess Vitamin C, your body can flush it out through urine. Vitamins A and D, however, dissolve in oils and melted fat.

The Consequences

So, when you take too much of one of these vitamins, rather than flushing the excess out, the body stores the surplus in fat or in fatty tissues such as the liver and the brain.

Accumulation of water in the brain, severe headaches, and birth defects are just three of the problems toxic levels of Vitamin A can cause. If you keep a relatively³ well-balanced diet, you’ll most likely get the vitamins your body needs without the use of supplements.

过量补充维他命的危险

你每天吃维生素吗？小心。正如维生素缺乏会让你生病一样，维生素毒性也会使你生病。事实上，如果你大量服用维生素，维生素会非常危险。

“A”和“D”有什么共同点

虽然维生素A和D如果摄入过多，最有可能让你生病，但它们并不是唯一危险的维生素。如果摄入过多，所有维生素都有可能有毒。

A和D使你比维生素C和其他维生素更容易患病的部分原因与维生素的溶解方式有关。维生素C溶于水。因此，如果你摄入过量的维生素C，你的身体可以通过尿液将其排出。然而，维生素A和D溶于油和融化的脂肪中。

后果

因此，当你摄入过多的维生素时，身体会将多余的维生素储存在脂肪或脂肪组织中，如肝脏和大脑。

大脑积水、严重头痛和出生缺陷只是维生素A中毒水平可能导致的三个问题。如果你保持相对均衡的饮食，你很可能在不使用补充剂的情况下获得身体所需的维生素。

1 toxic   

adj.有毒的，因中毒引起的

参考例句：

• The factory had accidentally released a quantity of toxic waste into the sea.这家工厂意外泄漏大量有毒废物到海中。
• There is a risk that toxic chemicals might be blasted into the atmosphere.爆炸后有毒化学物质可能会进入大气层。

2 toxicity   

n.毒性，毒力

参考例句：

• The hoarse grunt or squeal is characteristic of toxicity.嘶哑的哼声和叫声是中毒的特征。
• Dieldrin is related to aldrin,and its toxicity to earthworms is similar.狄氏剂与艾氏剂有关，对蚯蚓的毒性是相似的。

3 relatively   

adv.比较...地，相对地

参考例句：

• The rabbit is a relatively recent introduction in Australia.兔子是相对较新引入澳大利亚的物种。
• The operation was relatively painless.手术相对来说不痛。