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Olympic athletes submit their bodies to grueling training. And then they soar around the world to meet the competition. American east coast athletes traveled five time zones to get to London. West coast athletes leapt over eight. And increased the odds¹ that they’ll get a cold, if not the gold. So says a study in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.

Researchers tracked 259 elite² rugby players in the 2010 Super 14 Rugby Tournament. The 16 weeks of games took place in Australia, South Africa and New Zealand.

On average, there were 21 illnesses per thousand player-days. But players in their home countries endured only 15 illnesses per thousand days. And when a team traveled more than five time zones in either direction, illnesses rates more than doubled. The number dropped back to 10 after they flew back home. The illnesses were primarily infections, such as respiratory or intestinal³ illnesses.

A weakened immune system does not appear to be a factor. The researchers suggest that differences in temperature, pollution, allergens and different foods and local microbes are the likeliest culprits. One more element that might give European Olympians a home field advantage.

Thanks for the minute for scientific American sixty seconds science. I'm Cynthia Graber.

Interested in science and the Olympics? Check out the new Scientific American e-book, the Science of Sports: Winning at the Olympics. Available in most popular ebook formats⁴ including for the Kindle⁵ and the Nook. Just $3.99 wherever fine electrons flow or electromagnetic waves pass.

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收听单词发音

1 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？

2 elite
n.精英阶层；实力集团；adj.杰出的，卓越的
参考例句：
The power elite inside the government is controlling foreign policy.政府内部的一群握有实权的精英控制着对外政策。 We have a political elite in this country.我们国家有一群政治精英。

3 intestinal
adj.肠的；肠壁；肠道细菌
参考例句：
A few other conditions are in high intestinal obstruction. 其它少数情况是高位肠梗阻。来自辞典例句 This complication has occasionally occurred following the use of intestinal antiseptics. 这种并发症偶而发生在使用肠道抗菌剂上。来自辞典例句

4 formats
n.（出版物的）版式( format的名词复数 )；[电视]电视节目的总安排（或计划）
参考例句：
They are producing books in all kinds of different formats. 他们出版各种不同开本的书籍。来自《简明英汉词典》 A true GUI includes standard formats for representing text and graphics. 真正的图形用户界面包括表示文字和图形的标准格式。来自互联网

5 kindle
v.点燃，着火
参考例句：
This wood is too wet to kindle.这木柴太湿点不着。 A small spark was enough to kindle Lily's imagination.一星光花足以点燃莉丽的全部想象力。