SCIENCE REPORT - Red Wine and Heart Disease

SCIENCE REPORT
–
January 9, 2002: Red Wine and Heart Disease¹

By George Grow

This is the VOA Special English SCIENCE REPORT.

British scientists may have discovered the reason why red wine appears to protect the heart. They say natural
chemicals found in red wine appear to protect against blocked blood passages. The chemical substances are
called polyphenols. They come from the outer covering of grapes. They are not present in other alcoholic³ drinks.

Researchers from the William Harvey Research Institute at the London School of Medicine and Dentistry carried
out the study. The findings⁴ are published in Nature magazine.

The scientists say their discovery explains why many people in southern Europe can eat fatty foods and still have
a low risk of heart disease. People in France, for example, have lower rates of heart disease than Americans do.
Yet the traditional French diet includes butter, cheese and other foods high in cholesterol⁵.

This led the British scientists to examine another important part of the French diet --red wine. Several earlier
studies have suggested that people who drink moderate⁶ amounts of alcohol² may reduce their risk of heart disease.

The British team experimented with cells from the blood vessels⁷ of cows. The scientists studied the effects of
twenty-three kinds of red wine on the cow cells. They found that polyphenols from all of the red wines stopped
production of a protein called endothelin-one. This protein causes blood vessels to become smaller. Scientists
believe endothelin-one is linked to hardening⁸ of the blood vessels, which is a cause of heart disease.

The scientists found that the decrease in endothelin-one levels was linked to the amount of polyphenols in the
wines. The red wine known as Cabernet Sauvignon seemed to have the greatest effect.

The British team performed similar experiments with two other kinds of wine, white and rose. These wines
contain little or no polyphenols because the grape skins are removed before the wine is made. White and rose
wines had no effect on endothelin-one levels.

The scientists also studied the effect of non-alcoholic juice made from red grapes. They found that grape juice
slowed the production of endothelin -one, but was much less effective than the red wines.

The scientists say people who already drink wine might consider drinking red wine to increase their protection
against heart disease.

This VOA Special English SCIENCE REPORT was written by George Grow.

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1 disease   

n.疾病，弊端

参考例句：

• The doctors are trying to stamp out the disease.医生正在尽力消灭这种疾病。
• He fought against the disease for a long time.他同疾病做了长时间的斗争。

2 alcohol   

n.酒精，乙醇；含酒精的饮料

参考例句：

• The law forbids shops to sell alcohol to minors.法律禁止商店向未成年者出售含酒精的饮料。
• The alcohol is industrial.这些酒精是供工业用的。

3 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。

4 findings   

n.发现物( finding的名词复数 )；调查（或研究）的结果；（陪审团的）裁决

参考例句：

• It behoves us to study these findings carefully. 我们理应认真研究这些发现。
• Their findings have been widely disseminated . 他们的研究成果已经广为传播。

5 cholesterol   

n.（U）胆固醇

参考例句：

• There is cholesterol in the cell of body.人体细胞里有胆固醇。
• They are determining the serum-protein and cholesterol levels.他们正在测定血清蛋白和胆固醇的浓度。

6 moderate   

adj.适度的，稳健的，温和的，中等的；v.节制，使...稳定，使...缓和；n.稳健的人

参考例句：

• You should moderate your language when children are present.在孩子面前，你说话应该有节制。
• The wind is moderate today.今天的风很柔和。

7 vessels   

n.血管( vessel的名词复数 )；船；容器；（具有特殊品质或接受特殊品质的）人

参考例句：

• The river is navigable by vessels of up to 90 tons. 90 吨以下的船只可以从这条河通过。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• All modern vessels of any size are fitted with radar installations. 所有现代化船只都有雷达装置。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

8 hardening   

v.淬水；（使）变硬( harden的现在分词 )；（使）坚固；（使）硬化；（使）变得坚强

参考例句：

• This can sometimes reveal a hardening or lump that signals a tumor. 这样有时能发现硬物或肿块，这是肿瘤的信号。 来自英汉非文学 - 生命科学 - 癌症与艾滋病
• By hardening gold, people can then make coins and jewelry with it. 金子被加硬后，人们就可以用它打造硬币和珠宝。 来自英语晨读30分（高一）