战胜肥胖是一个长期复杂的问题

Fighting Obesity¹ Is a Long-Term, Complex Problem 战胜肥胖是一个长期复杂的问题

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

For the past 15 years, experts on obesity have gathered in Plymouth, England to attend a conference. It is estimated that more than half the city's adults are overweight or obese². The rest of Britain is not doing much better.

But what is happening in the U.K. is also happening in the U.S. and other Western countries as well as in a growing number of developing nations.

VOA's Joe De Capua talked with the expert who chaired the conference called the Plymouth Symposium³ on Obesity, Diabetes⁴ and Metabolic⁵ Syndrome⁶. Jonathan Pinkney is a professor of endocrinology and diabetes at Plymouth University.

Professor Pinkney said obesity is a long-term problem that is very difficult to solve. He said no one health issue has more impact on human health than obesity. Professor Pinkney called obesity a complex issue involving more than what a person eats.

“I personally feel that this is such a wide field. There are so many issues. There's politics. There's biology. There's the food industry. There's everything you can imagine. So, I think it’s right to talk about everything under one umbrella.

Overweight or obese?

Mr. Pinkney says obesity can interfere⁷ and impair⁸ the ability to have a normal life. It can destroy or devastate⁹ personal relationship.

“When body size becomes so huge that it impairs¹⁰ people’s day-to-day function and quality of life and well-being¹¹ and personal relationships … yeah, that’s kind of devastating¹². That tends to occur at a higher level of body weight.”

Mr. Pinkney warns that even people who are not considered obese can still be at risk. He said many people eat the wrong foods and do not get enough physical activity. People have been getting heavier and heavier slowly over time, he said. And that’s a problem.

“That's the more important point for the health of the population. You know, all the diabetes and heart attacks and cancers and things. I mean that's really caused by lower levels of weight gain.”

Effects of food industry advertising¹³

The conference provided much information about the biology of the brain and appetite control. The professor said people know how to eat healthy. But this knowledge is often overtaken by marketing¹⁴ of the food industry.

Advertisers show food on television and in print in a way that creates immediate¹⁵ desire. Professor Pinkney said these images can help lead some people to eat unhealthy foods.

He said he believes such pressure overpowers the biological systems that work to keep people at a healthy weight. Professor Pinkney said it is difficult to make progress in populations that eat a lot of sugar, salt and fat.

“There's a multinational¹⁶ food industry and there's huge vested interest in selling a lot of the stuff.”

The expert argued that the obesity epidemic¹⁷ must be stopped at its source: when eating habits begin. Children, he said, often learn poor eating habits from their parents.

"I think a lot of things start very early in life. You know, it's difficult to break the habits of a lifetime, isn't it? I think we all find that. But I think our health and our prospects¹⁸ for the future are kind of laid down fairly early. And I think that's not surprising. Big kids often have big parents. I think they learn this at an early stage.”

The professor suggests one way to improve the situation. He said children should be protected from advertising and marketing put out by the food industry.

Refined vs. unrefined carbohydrates²⁰

Besides marketing campaigns, the professor also blames refined carbohydrates and sugars for much of the obesity epidemic. Carbohydrates are commonly put into two groups: simple and complex. They can also be categorized as unrefined and refined carbohydrates.

"Refining" is a process that removes fiber²¹, nutrients²² and other items contained within the food in its natural state. Refining also concentrates sugars and can cause our blood sugar levels to change more rapidly than normal. This can cause people to feel tired or put them in a bad mood. It can also increase the appetite.

Prof. Pinkney said these refined, overly-processed foods set people up to fail. Without complex fiber, these foods do not satisfy a person's hunger for long. So, people eat their next meal sooner than normal.

Prof. Pinkney suggests we learn from our distant ancient ancestors -- the hunter-gatherers.   

“The hunter-gatherers, you know, going right back to last Ice Age and before that would have had a diet that was rich in complex, sort of, fiber type carbohydrate¹⁹. There would be protein in it now and again. But it didn't have all the sugar. So, the diet that is, of course, followed by traditional peoples is radically²³ different.”

Prof. Pinkney said all these areas – from advertising and policy to medical interventions²⁴ – need to be addressed to stop the obesity epidemic.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says over 35 percent of American adults are obese. That is almost 79 million people. The government agency says more than 17 million children are obese. The yearly medical cost of obesity in the U.S. is almost $200 billion.

Words in This Story

symposium – n. a formal meeting at which experts discuss a particular topic

endocrinology – n. a branch of medicine concerned with the structure, function and disorders²⁵ of the endocrine glands²⁶

devastate – v. to destroy much or most of (something) : to cause great damage or harm to (something) ; devastating is the adjective.

under one umbrella – idiomatic²⁷ expression to be in one place

appetite – n. a physical desire for food

habit – n. a usual way of behaving; something that a person does often in a regular and repeated way

intervene – v. to become involved in something (such as a conflict) in order to have an influence on what happens intervention is the noun

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 obese   

adj.过度肥胖的，肥大的

参考例句：

• The old man is really obese,it can't be healthy.那位老人确实过于肥胖了，不能算是健康。
• Being obese and lazy is dangerous to health.又胖又懒危害健康。

3 symposium   

n.讨论会，专题报告会；专题论文集

参考例句：

• What have you learned from the symposium?你参加了这次科学讨论会有什么体会？
• The specialists and scholars present at the symposium come from all corners of the country.出席研讨会的专家学者们来自全国各地。

4 diabetes   

n.糖尿病

参考例句：

• In case of diabetes, physicians advise against the use of sugar.对于糖尿病患者，医生告诫他们不要吃糖。
• Diabetes is caused by a fault in the insulin production of the body.糖尿病是由体內胰岛素分泌失调引起的。

5 metabolic   

adj.新陈代谢的

参考例句：

• Impressive metabolic alternations have been undergone during embryogenesis.在胚胎发生期间经历了深刻的代谢变化。
• A number of intoxicants are associated with metabolic acidosis.许多毒性物质可引起代谢性酸中毒。

6 syndrome   

n.综合病症；并存特性

参考例句：

• The Institute says that an unidentified virus is to blame for the syndrome. 该研究所表示,引起这种综合症的是一种尚未确认的病毒。
• Results indicated that 11 fetuses had Down syndrome. 结果表明有11个胎儿患有唐氏综合征。

7 interfere   

v.(in)干涉，干预；(with)妨碍，打扰

参考例句：

• If we interfere, it may do more harm than good.如果我们干预的话，可能弊多利少。
• When others interfere in the affair,it always makes troubles. 别人一卷入这一事件，棘手的事情就来了。

8 impair   

v.损害，损伤；削弱，减少

参考例句：

• Loud noise can impair your hearing.巨大的噪音有损听觉。
• It can not impair the intellectual vigor of the young.这不能磨灭青年人思想活力。

9 devastate   

v.使荒芜，破坏，压倒

参考例句：

• A few days before,a fire had devastated large parts of Windsor Castle.几天前，温莎城堡的大部分被一场大火烧毁。
• Earthquakes can also cause tsunamis,which devastate coastal regions.地震还引发海啸，它直接破坏海岸地区。

10 impairs   

v.损害，削弱( impair的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Smoking impairs our health. 吸烟会损害我们的健康。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Almost anything that impairs liver function can cause hepatitis. 任何有损于肝功能的因素，几乎都会引起肝炎。 来自辞典例句

11 well-being   

n.安康，安乐，幸福

参考例句：

• He always has the well-being of the masses at heart.他总是把群众的疾苦挂在心上。
• My concern for their well-being was misunderstood as interference.我关心他们的幸福，却被误解为多管闲事。

12 devastating   

adj.毁灭性的，令人震惊的，强有力的

参考例句：

• It is the most devastating storm in 20 years.这是20年来破坏性最大的风暴。
• Affairs do have a devastating effect on marriages.婚外情确实会对婚姻造成毁灭性的影响。

13 advertising   

n.广告业；广告活动 a.广告的；广告业务的

参考例句：

• Can you give me any advice on getting into advertising? 你能指点我如何涉足广告业吗?
• The advertising campaign is aimed primarily at young people. 这个广告宣传运动主要是针对年轻人的。

14 marketing   

n.行销，在市场的买卖，买东西

参考例句：

• They are developing marketing network.他们正在发展销售网络。
• He often goes marketing.他经常去市场做生意。

15 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。

16 multinational   

adj.多国的，多种国籍的；n.多国籍公司，跨国公司

参考例句：

• The firm was taken over by a multinational consulting firm.这家公司被一个跨国咨询公司收购。
• He analyzed the relationship between multinational corporations and under-developed countries.他分析了跨国公司和不发达国家之间的关系。

17 epidemic   

n.流行病；盛行；adj.流行性的，流传极广的

参考例句：

• That kind of epidemic disease has long been stamped out.那种传染病早已绝迹。
• The authorities tried to localise the epidemic.当局试图把流行病限制在局部范围。

18 prospects   

n.希望，前途(恒为复数)

参考例句：

• There is a mood of pessimism in the company about future job prospects. 公司中有一种对工作前景悲观的情绪。
• They are less sanguine about the company's long-term prospects. 他们对公司的远景不那么乐观。

19 carbohydrate   

n.碳水化合物；糖类；(plural)淀粉质或糖类

参考例句：

• You should not have too much carbohydrate in your diet.你日常饮食中不该有过多碳水化合物。
• Cashew nuts are rich in carbohydrate.腰果含丰富碳水化合物。

20 carbohydrates   

n.碳水化合物，糖类( carbohydrate的名词复数 )；淀粉质或糖类食物

参考例句：

• The plant uses the carbohydrates to make cellulose. 植物用碳水化合物制造纤维素。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• All carbohydrates originate from plants. 所有的碳水化合物均来自植物。 来自辞典例句

21 fiber   

n.纤维，纤维质

参考例句：

• The basic structural unit of yarn is the fiber.纤维是纱的基本结构单元。
• The material must be free of fiber clumps.这种材料必须无纤维块。

22 nutrients   

n.（食品或化学品）营养物，营养品( nutrient的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a lack of essential nutrients 基本营养的缺乏
• Nutrients are absorbed into the bloodstream. 营养素被吸收进血液。 来自《简明英汉词典》

23 radically   

ad.根本地，本质地

参考例句：

• I think we may have to rethink our policies fairly radically. 我认为我们可能要对我们的政策进行根本的反思。
• The health service must be radically reformed. 公共医疗卫生服务必须进行彻底改革。

24 interventions   

n.介入，干涉，干预( intervention的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Economic analysis of government interventions deserves detailed discussion. 政府对经济的干预应该给予充分的论述。 来自辞典例句
• The judge's frequent interventions made a mockery of justice. 法官的屡屡干预是对正义的践踏。 来自互联网

25 disorders   

n.混乱( disorder的名词复数 )；凌乱；骚乱；（身心、机能）失调

参考例句：

• Reports of anorexia and other eating disorders are on the increase. 据报告，厌食症和其他饮食方面的功能紊乱发生率正在不断增长。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The announcement led to violent civil disorders. 这项宣布引起剧烈的骚乱。 来自《简明英汉词典》

26 glands   

n.腺( gland的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a snake's poison glands 蛇的毒腺
• the sebaceous glands in the skin 皮脂腺

27 idiomatic   

adj.成语的，符合语言习惯的

参考例句：

• In our reading we should always be alert for idiomatic expressions.我们在阅读过程中应经常注意惯用法。
• In his lecture,he bore down on the importance of idiomatic usage in a language.他在演讲中着重强调了语言中习惯用法的重要性。