VOA标准英语2011--Hormone Could Restore Fertility in Lean

Hormone¹ Could Restore Fertility in Lean Women

Some women with very low body fat - such as athletes and professional dancers - stop menstruating and have an increased risk of bone fracture. Now, there's increasing evidence that hormone treatments can help these women.
The study involved young women with extremely low body fat and a condition called hypothalamic amenorrhea. It's part of a self-preservation mechanism² shared by many species: when the food supply is low, scarce energy is focused on survival, not reproduction.
"These women had stopped having their periods because they were exercising more than usual, or having stress, or a little bit of decreased food intake," says Sharon Chou, a researcher at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston.
In a new study, she and her colleagues tested whether a synthetic³ form of the hormone leptin could restore normal menstrual periods.
Leptin was discovered in 1994. It is related to the body's reserves of fat, so the hormone was investigated as a possible treatment to curb⁴ the appetites of obese⁵ people. That didn't work, but subsequent research found that leptin does play an important role in regulating how the body responds to lower food supplies.
Researchers found women with hypothalamic amenorrhea had low levels of leptin, and a 2004 study suggested that treatments with synthetic leptin (metreleptin) could restore menstruation. This latest research confirms that finding with a larger, more scientifically-rigorous study.
Nevertheless, Chou says the research is still a work in progress, so doctors won't be doing leptin treatments in the immediate⁶ future.
"But the idea is, these women can regain⁷ their menstrual cycle, menstrual function. And then, we're also looking to see if, used over a longer time period - perhaps one or two years - if these women would regain some of their bone loss."
The paper describing the effectiveness of leptin treatments by first author Sharon Chou, senior author Christos Mantzoros, and colleagues, is published online in the Proceedings⁸ of the National Academy of Sciences.

1 hormone   

n.荷尔蒙，激素，内分泌

参考例句：

• Hormone implants are used as growth boosters.激素植入物被用作生长辅助剂。
• This hormone interacts closely with other hormones in the body.这种荷尔蒙与体內其他荷尔蒙紧密地相互作用。

2 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。

3 synthetic   

adj.合成的，人工的；综合的；n.人工制品

参考例句：

• We felt the salesman's synthetic friendliness.我们感觉到那位销售员的虚情假意。
• It's a synthetic diamond.这是人造钻石。

4 curb   

n.场外证券市场，场外交易；vt.制止，抑制

参考例句：

• I could not curb my anger.我按捺不住我的愤怒。
• You must curb your daughter when you are in church.你在教堂时必须管住你的女儿。

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 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。

7 regain   

vt.重新获得，收复，恢复

参考例句：

• He is making a bid to regain his World No.1 ranking.他正为重登世界排名第一位而努力。
• The government is desperate to regain credibility with the public.政府急于重新获取公众的信任。

8 proceedings   

n.进程，过程，议程；诉讼(程序)；公报

参考例句：

• He was released on bail pending committal proceedings. 他交保获释正在候审。
• to initiate legal proceedings against sb 对某人提起诉讼