07年VOA标准英语-Scientists Find Link Between Stress and Obesity

By Carol Pearson
Washington
16 July 2007
 

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Midsection fat can lead to many health problems

Medical researchers have been looking for what some people call a "magic bullet" (magic pill) in their hunt to fight rising obesity rates worldwide.  In less than a decade, studies show, 75 percent of adults in the U.S. will be overweight.   Medical researchers have yet to find any "magic" cure for obesity, but scientists at Georgetown University in Washington say they have may have something close.  VOA's Carol Pearson explains.

Scientists have known for a long time about a link between chronic² stress and obesity. Now researchers at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., recently made what they call a "stunning³" advance.  

Dr. Zofia Zukowska, with Georgetown University's Medical School, says of the discovery, "The stunning thing is that we have actually discover(ed) the exact mechanism⁴ by which people get fat when they are stressed and eat (a) high fat, high sugar diet. And by knowing the mechanism, we can now manipulate the fat."

Dr. Zukowska and colleague in lab

Dr. Zukowska and her colleagues put laboratory mice under the same type of stress they would experience in the wild such as meeting up with a more aggressive mouse.  They then fed these mice an equivalent of a fast food diet.  The mice became obese⁵. 

Dr. Zukowska and her colleagues found an increased amount of a chemical called neuropeptide Y in these mice.  This chemical is activated⁶ by stress and helps stimulate⁷ the growth of fat cells. "So now you have a constellation⁸ of more vessels⁹ supplying nutrients¹⁰ to the fat, fat cells multiplying and growing."

Obesity research on mice

And the fat in mice grew around their middle, just as it does in humans. Midsection fat is the most dangerous kind because it affects the heart and liver, causing heart disease, adding to cholesterol¹¹ levels, high blood pressure, diabetes¹² and stroke. But the researchers found they could block the fat-causing neuropeptide Y, or N.P.Y., for short, with a different chemical. 

"We found that in addition to reducing the abdominal¹³ fat, we also improved the metabolism¹⁴. And all those problems that the mice had such as hypertension and glucose¹⁵ intolerance and fatty liver, it became markedly reduced or prevented" says Dr. Zukowska.

What is more, N.P.Y. seems to work in the human body much like it does in mice.  If so, Dr. Zofia Zukowska says it would be a major advance in the battle against obesity. "We think we not only are able to manipulate fat composition and maybe make the body more beautiful, but also actually treat obesity and metabolic¹⁶ syndrome¹⁷."

The researchers say many more studies need to be done before human trials can begin.

1 obesity   

n.肥胖，肥大

参考例句：

• One effect of overeating may be obesity.吃得过多能导致肥胖。
• Sugar and fat can more easily lead to obesity than some other foods.糖和脂肪比其他食物更容易导致肥胖。

2 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。

3 stunning   

adj.极好的；使人晕倒的

参考例句：

• His plays are distinguished only by their stunning mediocrity.他的戏剧与众不同之处就是平凡得出奇。
• The finished effect was absolutely stunning.完工后的效果非常美。

4 mechanism   

n.机械装置；机构，结构

参考例句：

• The bones and muscles are parts of the mechanism of the body.骨骼和肌肉是人体的组成部件。
• The mechanism of the machine is very complicated.这台机器的结构是非常复杂的。

5 obese   

adj.过度肥胖的，肥大的

参考例句：

• The old man is really obese,it can't be healthy.那位老人确实过于肥胖了，不能算是健康。
• Being obese and lazy is dangerous to health.又胖又懒危害健康。

6 activated   

adj. 激活的 动词activate的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• The canister is filled with activated charcoal.蒸气回收罐中充满了活性炭。

7 stimulate   

vt.刺激，使兴奋；激励，使…振奋

参考例句：

• Your encouragement will stimulate me to further efforts.你的鼓励会激发我进一步努力。
• Success will stimulate the people for fresh efforts.成功能鼓舞人们去作新的努力。

8 constellation   

n.星座n.灿烂的一群

参考例句：

• A constellation is a pattern of stars as seen from the earth. 一个星座只是从地球上看到的某些恒星的一种样子。
• The Big Dipper is not by itself a constellation. 北斗七星本身不是一个星座。

9 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》

10 nutrients   

n.（食品或化学品）营养物，营养品( nutrient的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a lack of essential nutrients 基本营养的缺乏
• Nutrients are absorbed into the bloodstream. 营养素被吸收进血液。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 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。

12 diabetes   

n.糖尿病

参考例句：

• In case of diabetes, physicians advise against the use of sugar.对于糖尿病患者，医生告诫他们不要吃糖。
• Diabetes is caused by a fault in the insulin production of the body.糖尿病是由体內胰岛素分泌失调引起的。

13 abdominal   

adj.腹（部）的，下腹的；n.腹肌

参考例句：

• The abdominal aorta is normally smaller than the thoracic aorta.腹主动脉一般比胸主动脉小。
• Abdominal tissues sometimes adhere after an operation.手术之后腹部有时会出现粘连。

14 metabolism   

n.新陈代谢

参考例句：

• After years of dieting,Carol's metabolism was completely out of whack.经过数年的节食，卡罗尔的新陈代谢完全紊乱了。
• All living matter undergoes a process of metabolism.生物都有新陈代谢。

15 glucose   

n.葡萄糖

参考例句：

• I gave him an extra dose of glucose to pep him up.我给他多注射了一剂葡萄糖以增强他的活力。
• The doctor injected glucose into his patient's veins.医生将葡萄糖注入病人的静脉。

16 metabolic   

adj.新陈代谢的

参考例句：

• Impressive metabolic alternations have been undergone during embryogenesis.在胚胎发生期间经历了深刻的代谢变化。
• A number of intoxicants are associated with metabolic acidosis.许多毒性物质可引起代谢性酸中毒。

17 syndrome   

n.综合病症；并存特性

参考例句：

• The Institute says that an unidentified virus is to blame for the syndrome. 该研究所表示,引起这种综合症的是一种尚未确认的病毒。
• Results indicated that 11 fetuses had Down syndrome. 结果表明有11个胎儿患有唐氏综合征。