VOA标准英语2011--Study: Spicier Diet Could Help Fight Can

Study: Spicier Diet Could Help Fight Cancer

While researchers around the world continue searching for new and better treatments for various forms of cancer, they are also finding more evidence that simple changes in diet and lifestyle can, in many cases, prevent the disease. The effects of smoking are well established, but many doctors now say bad eating habits, lack of exercise, obesity¹ and stressful living can also be big risk factors. One researcher thinks adding a little spice to your diet could also help.
In a research laboratory at Houston's M.D. Anderson Cancer Clinic, Bharat Aggarwal has been studying the medicinal use of spices, like the turmeric he grew up eating in his native India.
Spice of Life
"These spices have been used day in and day out as a meat preservative² and these spices are anti-fungal, anti-bacterial, anti-virus," said Aggarwal.
Much of his research focuses on curcumin, a natural substance used to make turmeric, a chief ingredient in curry³ sauces, which has been shown to be effective in reducing cancerous tumors.
While some doctors scoffed⁴ at the notion of using a spice to treat cancer, Aggarwal persisted. And now, he says, other researchers are also showing good results.
"There were at least half a dozen clinical trials that appeared last year alone on curcumin, where as little as 100 milligrams is enough to down modulate⁵ all the inflammatory bio-markers in people; we are not talking about rats or mice or anything," Aggarwal added.
But Aggarwal is the first to say that neither curcumin nor any other food provides a "magic bullet" to stop cancer. He advocates moderation in diet and lifestyle and the consumption of a variety of natural foods.
"There are 800 different kinds of food items out there, 800! An average American eats no more than 10. So variety is the name of the game," Aggarwal noted⁶.
That is the same approach being taken by Atlanta chef Hans Rueffert, who demonstrated his salad-making skills at a recent Cancer Survivorship Conference in Houston.
Rueffert is a big believer in using fresh ingredients and borrowing from every type of cuisine⁸.
"I think any good chef is constantly learning about different cultures, different cuisines⁹ and you sort of take the best of each one," Rueffert explained.
But Rueffert is especially interested in healthy eating because he, too, is a cancer survivor⁷, having lost his stomach and part of his esophagus to the disease. He acknowledges the irony¹⁰, but he says that also gives his message more impact.
"I know what radiation is like. I know what chemo is like. I know what surgeries are like. So when I am up there and talking about how these foods benefit you, I am not reading from some book... to know that is to live that; and I have lived that," said Rueffert.
Diet vs Gene¹¹ Therapy
Bharat Aggarwal thinks investigating the chemicals in foods and spices will do more to prevent cancer than expensive research on genetic¹² links.
"These genes¹³ are going to be with us no matter what," said Aggarwal. "So we are not going to be able to fix those, but that is where all the money is going into."
Aggarwal notes that spices like curcumin have long been known to promote health.
"The natural compound is working very well and it has been used for thousands of years and it is very inexpensive," Aggarwal added.
And expense is an important consideration as the United States faces budgetary struggles and an aging population of so-called "baby boomers" who are going to need more medical care in the years ahead.

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 preservative   

n.防腐剂；防腐料；保护料；预防药

参考例句：

• New timber should be treated with a preservative.新采的圆木应进行防腐处理。
• Salt is a common food preservative.盐是一种常用的食物防腐剂。

3 curry   

n.咖哩粉，咖哩饭菜；v.用咖哩粉调味，用马栉梳，制革

参考例句：

• Rice makes an excellent complement to a curry dish.有咖喱的菜配米饭最棒。
• Add a teaspoonful of curry powder.加一茶匙咖喱粉。

4 scoffed   

嘲笑，嘲弄( scoff的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He scoffed at our amateurish attempts. 他对我们不在行的尝试嗤之以鼻。
• A hundred years ago people scoffed at the idea. 一百年前人们曾嘲笑过这种想法。

5 modulate   

v.调整，调节(音的强弱)；变调

参考例句：

• Please modulate the sound on the TV.请调节一下电视的音量。
• This system could modulate the voice signal effectively.这个系统可以对语音信号进行有效的调制。

6 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

7 survivor   

n.生存者，残存者，幸存者

参考例句：

• The sole survivor of the crash was an infant.这次撞车的惟一幸存者是一个婴儿。
• There was only one survivor of the plane crash.这次飞机失事中只有一名幸存者。

8 cuisine   

n.烹调，烹饪法

参考例句：

• This book is the definitive guide to world cuisine.这本书是世界美食的权威指南。
• This restaurant is renowned for its cuisine.这家餐馆以其精美的饭菜而闻名。

9 cuisines   

n.烹饪( cuisine的名词复数 )；菜肴；（通常指昂贵的饭店中的）饭菜；烹饪艺术

参考例句：

• Could you tell me the different features of these cuisines? 能不能告诉我这些不同的烹调流派各自有哪些特点？ 来自地道口语脱口SHOW 高中超越版
• Ice sculptures are used as decorations in some cuisines, especially in Asia. 冰雕在某些菜肴中被当作装饰品，尤其在亚洲。 来自互联网

10 irony   

n.反语，冷嘲；具有讽刺意味的事，嘲弄

参考例句：

• She said to him with slight irony.她略带嘲讽地对他说。
• In her voice we could sense a certain tinge of irony.从她的声音里我们可以感到某种讥讽的意味。

11 gene   

n.遗传因子，基因

参考例句：

• A single gene may have many effects.单一基因可能具有很多种效应。
• The targeting of gene therapy has been paid close attention.其中基因治疗的靶向性是值得密切关注的问题之一。

12 genetic   

adj.遗传的，遗传学的

参考例句：

• It's very difficult to treat genetic diseases.遗传性疾病治疗起来很困难。
• Each daughter cell can receive a full complement of the genetic information.每个子细胞可以收到遗传信息的一个完全补偿物。

13 genes   

n.基因( gene的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• You have good genes from your parents, so you should live a long time. 你从父母那儿获得优良的基因，所以能够活得很长。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Differences will help to reveal the functions of the genes. 它们间的差异将会帮助我们揭开基因多种功能。 来自英汉非文学 - 生命科学 - 生物技术的世纪