2019年经济学人 更年期激素替代疗法的利与弊(2)

 

And yet the conclusions of the study in 2002 were rapidly debunked¹. A re-examination of its results showed that women aged² between 50 and 59 who took HRT were 31% less likely to die of any cause during their five to seven years of treatment with the hormones³ than those who did not. For a woman who has had her uterus removed or who starts menopause before the age of 45, HRT greatly reduces the risk of heart disease, a life-saving effect. It can also prevent osteoporosis, a disease in which bones become brittle⁵. One study of postmenopausal American women over a ten-year period found that, of those who had had hysterectomies, between 18,000 and 91,000 died prematurely⁶ because they had shunned⁷ hormone⁴ therapy. HRT also lowers women’s risk of uterine and colon⁸ cancers. Fears about the increased risks of breast cancer have been overplayed.

然而，2002年的研究结论很快就被揭穿了。一项对结果的重新检验表明，在接受激素替代疗法的5到7年里，年龄在50到59岁之间的妇女因任何原因死亡的可能性比未接受激素替代疗法的妇女低31%。对于子宫切除或45岁前更年期的妇女来说，激素替代疗法大大降低了患心脏病的风险，这是一种挽救生命的效果。它还可以预防骨质疏松症，一种骨质变脆的疾病。一项对更年期后的美国妇女长达10年的研究发现，在那些做过子宫切除手术的妇女中，有18000到91000人因为逃避激素治疗而过早死亡。激素替代疗法还能降低女性患子宫癌和结肠癌的风险。关于乳腺癌风险增加的担忧被夸大了。

Hormonal⁹ therapies are typically off-patent and inexpensive. In Britain the annual price tag is only ￡125 ($165); in the United States generic¹⁰ pills are similarly affordable¹¹. And the benefits vastly outweigh¹² the costs. Nothing else controls the symptoms of menopause so well, and a heightened risk of any one disease must be weighed against the lowered risks of contracting several others. Hormonal therapies are not appropriate for all menopausal women. For some, the symptoms are insufficiently¹³ severe for it to be worthwhile. The treatment might not be suitable for those with liver disease, or a history of blood clots¹⁴, or breast or ovarian cancer. But for serious symptoms, alternative treatments are worse than taking HRT. Herbal supplements, yoga and faddy diets— to which some turn in the absence of medical help—may alleviate¹⁵ the unpleasantness of menopause but do not offer the long-term health benefits of HRT. Moreover, the symptoms can portend¹⁶ serious health problems in the future. Doctors could usefully prescribe HRT far more widely than they do today.

激素疗法通常是非专利的，而且便宜。在英国，一年的标价只有125英镑（合165美元）；在美国，仿制药也同样便宜。而且收益远远大于成本。没有什么比这更好地控制更年期症状了，任何一种疾病的高风险都必须与其他几种疾病的低风险相权衡。激素疗法并不适用于所有更年期妇女。对一些人来说，这些症状还不够严重，值得一试。这种疗法可能不适用于患有肝病、有血栓病史、乳腺癌或卵巢癌的患者。但是对于严重的症状，其他疗法比激素替代疗法更糟糕。草药补品、瑜伽和流行饮食——有些在没有医疗帮助的情况下转而采用——可能会减轻更年期的不愉快，但不会提供激素替代疗法的长期健康益处。此外，这些症状可能预示着未来严重的健康问题。医生可以比现在更广泛地使用激素替代疗法。

1 debunked   

v.揭穿真相，暴露( debunk的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• His theories have been debunked by recent research. 最近的研究揭穿了他的理论的真相。
• Some advertising slogans should be debunked. 某些夸大的广告用语应予揭露。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 aged   

adj.年老的，陈年的

参考例句：

• He had put on weight and aged a little.他胖了，也老点了。
• He is aged,but his memory is still good.他已年老，然而记忆力还好。

3 hormones   

n. 荷尔蒙，激素 名词hormone的复数形式

参考例句：

• 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。
• The adrenals produce a large per cent of a man's sex hormones. 肾上腺分泌人体的大部分性激素。

4 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。

5 brittle   

adj.易碎的；脆弱的；冷淡的；(声音)尖利的

参考例句：

• The pond was covered in a brittle layer of ice.池塘覆盖了一层易碎的冰。
• She gave a brittle laugh.她冷淡地笑了笑。

6 prematurely   

adv.过早地，贸然地

参考例句：

• She was born prematurely with poorly developed lungs. 她早产，肺部未发育健全。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• His hair was prematurely white, but his busy eyebrows were still jet-black. 他的头发已经白了，不过两道浓眉还是乌黑乌黑的。 来自辞典例句

7 shunned   

v.避开，回避，避免( shun的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• She was shunned by her family when she remarried. 她再婚后家里人都躲着她。
• He was a shy man who shunned all publicity. 他是个怕羞的人，总是避开一切引人注目的活动。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 colon   

n.冒号，结肠，直肠

参考例句：

• Here,too,the colon must be followed by a dash.这里也是一样，应当在冒号后加破折号。
• The colon is the locus of a large concentration of bacteria.结肠是大浓度的细菌所在地。

9 hormonal   

adj.激素的

参考例句：

• Some viral diseases are more severe during pregnancy, probably tecause of hormonal changes. 有些病毒病在妊娠期间比较严重，可能是由于激素变化引起的。
• She underwent surgical intervention and a subsequent short period of hormonal therapy. 他接受外科手术及随后短暂荷尔蒙治疗。

10 generic   

adj.一般的，普通的，共有的

参考例句：

• I usually buy generic clothes instead of name brands.我通常买普通的衣服，不买名牌。
• The generic woman appears to have an extraordinary faculty for swallowing the individual.一般妇女在婚后似乎有特别突出的抑制个性的能力。

11 affordable   

adj.支付得起的，不太昂贵的

参考例句：

• The rent for the four-roomed house is affordable.四居室房屋的房租付得起。
• There are few affordable apartments in big cities.在大城市中没有几所公寓是便宜的。

12 outweigh   

vt.比...更重，...更重要

参考例句：

• The merits of your plan outweigh the defects.你制定的计划其优点胜过缺点。
• One's merits outweigh one's short-comings.功大于过。

13 insufficiently   

adv.不够地，不能胜任地

参考例句：

• Your insurance card is insufficiently stamped. 你的保险卡片未贴足印花。 来自辞典例句
• Many of Britain's people are poorly dressed, badly housed, insufficiently nourished. 许多英国人衣着寒伧，居住简陋，营养不良。 来自互联网

14 clots   

n.凝块( clot的名词复数 )；血块；蠢人；傻瓜v.凝固( clot的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• When you cut yourself, blood clots and forms a scab. 你割破了，血会凝固、结痂。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Milk clots when it turns sour. 奶变酸就凝块。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

15 alleviate   

v.减轻，缓和，缓解(痛苦等)

参考例句：

• The doctor gave her an injection to alleviate the pain.医生给她注射以减轻疼痛。
• Nothing could alleviate his distress.什么都不能减轻他的痛苦。

16 portend   

v.预兆，预示；给…以警告

参考例句：

• Black clouds portend a storm.乌云为暴风雨的前兆。
• What do these strange events portend?这些奇怪的事件预示着什么？