VOA慢速英语20061227a

This is the VOA Special English Health Report.

New York City wants to fight fat. The Board of Health has passed a ban on trans fats in all restaurants.


Kentucky Fried Chicken sells a fried chicken free of trans fats

Eating places have until July to stop frying foods in oils high in trans-fatty acids. And they have until July of two thousand eight to reduce trans fat in other foods to less than one-half gram per serving.

Trans fats are often called partially¹ hydrogenated fats. They form when hydrogen is added to liquid oils and fats to make them solid. Trans fats make foods last longer.

But they increase the level of low-density lipoprotein, known as bad cholesterol², in the blood. High levels of LDL can increase the risk for heart disease.

The use of trans fats expanded because of worries about saturated³ fats. Saturated fat also raises bad cholesterol. So is one fat worse than the other?

James Cleeman is coordinator⁴ of the cholesterol education program at the National Institutes of Health. Doctor Cleeman says gram for gram, both raise LDL levels about the same. But he points out that American adults on average get more than four times as much saturated fat in their diet as trans fat.

Trans fats, though, also lower the level of HDL, high-density lipoprotein -- so-called good cholesterol. Saturated fats do not.

Doctor Cleeman says lower levels of good cholesterol have been linked to increased risk for heart disease in the population as a whole. But for an individual, he says, lowering good cholesterol by eating trans fat has not been shown to increase the risk.

Other cities may also ban trans fats. A measure proposed in Chicago has been awaiting further action.

The New York Board of Health also wants menus in fast-food places to now list the number of calories in foods. The idea is to help people make wiser choices.

Public health officials say two out of three Americans are overweight.

But the National Restaurant Association calls the actions in New York misguided social engineering. And it says the ban raises serious legal concerns.

The group notes that many restaurants have recently announced they are moving away from using trans fat. And it says without much time to change, many will have no choice but to use oils high in saturated fats.

Some people see the ban as an attack on freedom of choice. They say food inspectors⁵ should worry more about dangers like E. coli bacteria.

And that's the VOA Special English Health Report, written by Jill Moss⁶. I'm Shirley Griffith.

1 partially   

adv.部分地，从某些方面讲

参考例句：

• The door was partially concealed by the drapes.门有一部分被门帘遮住了。
• The police managed to restore calm and the curfew was partially lifted.警方设法恢复了平静，宵禁部分解除。

2 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。

3 saturated   

a.饱和的，充满的

参考例句：

• The continuous rain had saturated the soil. 连绵不断的雨把土地淋了个透。
• a saturated solution of sodium chloride 氯化钠饱和溶液

4 coordinator   

n.协调人

参考例句：

• The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, headed by the Emergency Relief Coordinator, coordinates all UN emergency relief. 联合国人道主义事务协调厅在紧急救济协调员领导下，负责协调联合国的所有紧急救济工作。
• How am I supposed to find the client-relations coordinator? 我怎么才能找到客户关系协调员的办公室？

5 inspectors   

n.检查员( inspector的名词复数 )；（英国公共汽车或火车上的）查票员；（警察）巡官；检阅官

参考例句：

• They got into the school in the guise of inspectors. 他们假装成视察员进了学校。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Inspectors checked that there was adequate ventilation. 检查员已检查过，通风良好。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 moss   

n.苔，藓，地衣

参考例句：

• Moss grows on a rock.苔藓生在石头上。
• He was found asleep on a pillow of leaves and moss.有人看见他枕着树叶和苔藓睡着了。