VOA慢速英语 2008 1008a

This is the VOA Special English Health Report.

A new study has found that a fat cell gene¹ may reduce the risk of colon² cancer in some people. The study provides what scientists say is the first evidence of a genetic³ link between a fat cell gene and colon cancer. The research could lead to better tests for the disease as well as measures to help prevent it.
　

A doctor in Plano, Texas, performs a colonoscopy on a patient

Current evidence suggests a relationship between obesity⁴, insulin resistance and colon cancer risk. The scientists say what they have found now is an area of a gene that is connected with the cancer risk. They say this area is most likely not the cause of the disease, but they think it is where the connection comes from.

The gene is involved in the formation of a hormone⁵ called adiponectin. Some people have higher levels of this hormone in their blood, others have lower levels. Higher levels have been linked with lower rates of obesity and insulin resistance. And lower levels have been linked with higher rates.

The Journal of the American Medical Association published the new findings last week. Boris Pasche from the Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Alabama at Birmingham led the research.

Colon cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer deaths. Every year it kills almost six hundred eighty thousand people around the world. And doctors find more than one million new cases. The disease is highly treatable if discovered early.

The research involved two studies with a total of about one thousand five hundred people. The larger of the two studies involved New Yorkers of Ashkenazi Jewish ancestry⁶. Colon cancer is more common in Jews of eastern European ancestry than in the general population. The other study involved people of different ethnicities from Chicago, Illinois.

Currently, in the United States, the general advice is for colonoscopy tests for colon cancer to begin at the age of fifty. A colonoscopy can find and remove growths before they become cancerous. But the test is invasive and can be uncomfortable.

A study last month in the New England Journal of Medicine expressed support for a test called a virtual colonoscopy. It uses X-ray and computer technology to search for growths, but cannot remove them. There are still some questions about the effectiveness of a virtual colonoscopy compared to a traditional one. But doctors hope it might appeal to people who would otherwise not be tested at all.

And that's the VOA Special English Health Report, written by Caty Weaver⁷. I'm Steve Ember.

1 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。

2 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。

3 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。

4 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。

5 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。

6 ancestry   

n.祖先，家世

参考例句：

• Their ancestry settled the land in 1856.他们的祖辈1856年在这块土地上定居下来。
• He is an American of French ancestry.他是法国血统的美国人。

7 weaver   

n.织布工；编织者

参考例句：

• She was a fast weaver and the cloth was very good.她织布织得很快，而且布的质量很好。
• The eager weaver did not notice my confusion.热心的纺织工人没有注意到我的狼狈相。