VOA慢速英语2019 你现在就能做一件事来保护心脏（在线收听）

One Thing You Can Do Right Now to Help Your Heart

From VOA Learning English, this is the Health & Lifestyle report.

这里是美国之音学习英语频道，来自健康和生活方式栏目的报道。 

Many diseases and medical conditions are caused by things out of our control. Yet experts say you can control and even prevent many of the risk factors that increase your chances of dying.

许多疾病和健康状况是由我们无法控制的事情引起的。然而专家表示，人们可以控制甚至阻止许多会增加死亡几率的危险因素。

Experts note that an unhealthy lifestyle can put you at great risk of heart disease and stroke. Poor diet, having too much body fat and a lack of physical exercise all increase your risk of heart disease -- so can using tobacco products and drinking too much alcohol.

专家指出，不健康的生活方式会使人们面临患心脏病和中风的巨大风险。饮食不良、体脂过高、缺乏体育锻炼都会增加患心脏病的风险——吸烟和饮酒过量也是如此。

So doctors urge us to eat healthy foods, get exercise, stop smoking and limit our alcohol intake.

因此医生敦促我们吃健康的食物、锻炼身体、戒烟，并控制饮酒。 

But there is something else you can do. And it is free and easy, Smile!

但还有一件事你可以做。这件事是免费的，而且很容易做到——微笑！ 

Anand Chockalingam is a heart disease specialist at University of Missouri Health Care in Columbia, Missouri. He advises his patients to smile.

安纳德·乔卡利加是密苏里州哥伦比亚市密苏里大学卫生保健学院的心脏病专家。他建议病人保持微笑。

When we smile, the brain wiring gets altered. The chemicals that are released are more positive.

“我们微笑的时候，大脑神经网络会发生改变。释放的化学物质也更为积极健康。” 

He says smiling is a first step in fighting physical and emotional stress and its sometimes harmful effects on human health. This is not just New Age advice. Several studies support Dr. Chockaligam’s prescription to smile more.

他称，身心压力有时会对身体健康产生不利影响，而微笑是对抗这些压力及其不利影响的第一步。这不仅仅是新时代的建议。多项研究支持乔卡利加博士的“多微笑处方”。

When we talk about disorders of the heart and blood vessels, we are talking about cardiovascular diseases, such as coronary heart disease. And they are the number one cause of death around the world. That information comes from the World Health Organization.

当我们谈到心脏和血管机能失调时，我们谈论的是心血管疾病，如冠心病。它们是全球头号死因。这些信息来源于世界卫生组织。

The main cause of heart attacks and strokes are blockages in blood vessels. These prevent blood from flowing to the heart or the brain. The most common reason for these blockages is a build-up of fatty deposits on the inner walls of the arteries.

造成心脏病和中风的主要原因是血管阻塞。血管阻塞导致血液无流向心脏或大脑。阻塞最常见的成因是动脉内壁的脂肪堆积。

When you feel stressed or under pressure, your body releases many natural hormones including adrenaline and cortisol. Adrenaline increases your heart rate and blood pressure. Cortisol is the body’s main stress hormone. It increases sugar in the bloodstream. If you are truly in danger, these hormones can help you. They are part of what we call our fight-or-flight response.

当人们感到紧张或有压力时，身体会释放许多肾上腺素和皮质醇等天然激素。肾上腺素会导致心率加快和血压升高。皮质醇是人体主要的应激激素。它能增加血液中的糖分。如果人们真的处于危险中，这些激素可以提供帮助。它们我们所说的“战斗或逃跑反应”的一部分。

However, when stressed for a long period, these stress hormones are ever-present in our bodies. And that, medical researchers warn, may lead to health problems.

然而，如果长时间处于压力下，这些压力激素就会永远存在于我们的身体中。医学研究人员警告称，这可能导致健康问题。

Researchers with the American Heart Association say the connection between stress and heart disease is still unclear. However, they claim that when people are stressed for long periods of time, they may not make the best decisions about what to eat. They may overeat, smoke or drink too much alcohol. They may not get enough exercise or sleep. And all of this can lead to health problems.

美国心脏协会的研究人员表示，压力和心脏病之间的联系尚不清楚。然而，他们声称，当人们长时间处于紧张状态时，可能不会对吃什么做出最好的选择。他们可能暴饮暴食、吸烟或饮酒过量。他们可能缺乏运动或睡眠不足。所有这些都会导致健康问题。

Dr. Chockalingam says a smile may be one way to help.

乔卡利加博士称微笑或许有帮助。 

He tells his patients to smile 20 times an hour. To some, that might seem like a lot of smiling. Or some might even feel foolish ... smiling for seemingly no reason. But a smile does not involve drugs. It is not invasive like a surgical operation. It is free and it has no bad side effects.

他告诉病人每小时微笑20次。对有些人来说，这似乎笑得太多。或者有些人甚至可能会觉得毫无缘由地微笑…很愚蠢。但是微笑不涉及吃药，也不像外科手术需要开刀。微笑是免费的，且没有副作用。

Once people smile, they are relaxing. This relaxation directly lowers blood pressure, improves sugar levels in the blood. If we are smiling, we are breaking that link between stress and health.

“人们只要一微笑，就会放松下来。这种放松可以直接降低血压，提高血液中的糖含量。我们微笑，就会打破压力和健康之间的联系。”

And it just may provide a little extra protection to everyone’s heart health.

它还可能为每个人的心脏健康提供一点额外的保护。 

And that’s the Health & Lifestyle report.

以上就是本期健康与生活方式的全部。 

Words in This Story

factor – n. something that helps produce or influence a result : one of the things that cause something to happen

altered – adj. made different in some way

positive – adj. good or useful

New Age – adj. capitalized : an eclectic group of cultural attitudes arising in late 20th century Western society that are adapted from those of a variety of ancient and modern cultures, that are outside the mainstream, and that advance alternative approaches to spirituality, right living, and health

prescription – n. a written message from a doctor that officially tells someone to use a medicine, therapy, etc.

invasive – adj. involving entry into the living body as by incision or by insertion of an instrument

side effect – n. an often harmful and unwanted effect of a drug or chemical that occurs along with the desired effect

relax – v. to become calm and free from stress : relaxing – adj.

fight-or-flight response – noun Physiology, Psychology : the response of the sympathetic nervous system to a stressful event, preparing the body to fight or flee : associated with the adrenal secretion of epinephrine and characterized by increased heart rate, increased blood flow to the brain and muscles, raised sugar levels, sweaty palms and soles, dilated pupils, and erect hairs