VOA慢速英语2019 新研究：人类大脑老化速度不尽相同

Study Finds Some Brains Age Quicker Than Others

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

这里是VOA慢速英语健康生活报道。 

The brain, like any other body part, gets old.However, not all brains age the same way.For example, women’s brains may age more slowly than men’s.That is the finding of a U.S. study from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Missouri.

大脑跟身体的其他部分一样，都会变老。不过，并非所有大脑都会以同样的方式老化。比如，女性的大脑，其老化速度可能慢于男性。这是美国的一项研究发现，研究方是位于密苏里州圣路易斯的华盛顿大学医学院。

Researchers there wanted to find out how the brain uses sugar.To do that, they studied just over 200 brains of men and women aged¹ 20 to 80.They used PET scans to look at the flow of oxygen and sugar in the brains.

该大学的研究者希望找出大脑使用糖分的方式。为了实现这个目标，他们研究了200名对象的大脑，男女不一，年龄从20-80岁不等。他们通过正电子发射层析扫描来查看大脑中氧元素和糖分的流动情况。

The researchers found that the brains of women looked nearly four years younger than the brains of men who were born in the same year.Their findings suggest that the brains of men and women may use sugar differently as they age.

研究人员发现，女性的大脑看起来比男性大脑年轻了4岁，虽然他们都是同年出生的。他们的发现结果表明，男性和女性的大脑在老化过程中使用糖分的方式不尽相同。

But the researchers do not know why.Some scientists suggest that hormones² could play a part.

但研究人员不知道其中的原因。一些科学家认为，荷尔蒙可能起到了一定的作用。 

The lead author of the study, Manu Goyal, is an assistant professor of neurology and of neuroscience.In a statement published on the website Science Daily, Goyal explained why the work is important.

该研究的牵头作者摩奴·戈亚尔是神经学和神经系统科学领域的助理教授。在发布于《每日科学》官网的一份声明中，戈亚尔阐释了这项工作的重要性。

How the brain uses fuel, he wrote, might help us understand some of the differences we see between men and women as they age.

他在声明中写道，大脑使用养分的方式可能有助于我们了解男女性老化方式的一些不同。 

On its website, the National Institute on Aging describes an aging brain.

国立老化研究所在官网上描述了大脑老化的进程。 

Parts of the brain get smaller, especially those important to learning and other complex mental activities.Communication between neurons may decrease.Blood flow may lessen³ and inflammation may increase.

部分大脑会萎缩，对学习等复杂精神活动重要的大脑区域尤为如此。神经之间的联系会减少。血流速度会变慢，炎症会加剧。

All these changes slow our cognitive⁴ abilities.We have trouble remembering things, finishing complex tasks or paying attention.

这些变化都会让我们认知能力下降。我们寄东西、完成复杂的任务或者集中注意力的时候会遇到困难。

Given what scientists already know about aging, the recent study about sex differences in the brain has raised some questions.For one, if women’s brains age more slowly than men’s, why do more women get Alzheimer’s disease?

结合科学家对于老化已经了解的情况，最近这项关于大脑老化时性别差异的研究也让人们产生了几个疑问。其一，如果女性大脑老化速度慢于男性大脑，那么为什么女性患老年痴呆的病例更多呢？

Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive brain disorder⁵ that cannot be stopped.It slowly destroys memory, thinking skills and, eventually, the ability to carry out the simplest of tasks.

老年痴呆是一种渐次性的脑失调，是无法遏制的。老年痴呆会慢慢损坏记忆力、思考能力，并最终导致人失去完成最简单任务的能力。

Alzheimer’s does not have a cure.However, doctors say that between 50 to 60 percent of Alzheimer’s cases can be prevented by simple lifestyle changes.

老年痴呆无药可治。不过，医生表示，五成到六成的老年痴呆病例都可以通过生活习惯的简单改变来预防。

Whether you are a man or a woman, here are some things you can do to keep your brain young and healthy.

无论性别如何，大家都可以通过下面这几件事来让大脑保持年轻健康。 

Sleep is the easiest and best thing you can do keep your brain young.Experts say to try to get around seven hours of sleep each night.

睡觉是最简单也是最好的方法，可以让大脑保持年轻。专家建议大家每晚尽量最少睡7小时左右。 

Get aerobic⁶ exercise for 30 to 40 minutes three to four times a week.Exercise helps you grow brain cells and improves blood flow in the brain.

做30-40分钟的有氧运动，每周3-4次。运动可以帮助脑细胞的发育，同时加快血液流速。 

Eat a healthy diet.Doctors say any diet that is good for the heart is also good for the brain.One example is the Mediterranean⁷ diet with lots of vegetables (especially leafy greens),

健康饮食。医生们都说，对心脏有益的食谱对大脑也是有益的。一个例子就是地中海型饮食，每餐都有很多蔬菜（尤其是绿叶蔬菜）、

fruits (especially blueberries), nuts, whole grains, red wine (in moderation) and fish.

水果（尤其是蓝莓）、坚果、全谷物、红酒（要有节制）、鱼类。 

Do activities that make you excited and happy.

做让你兴奋和开心的活动。 

Spend time with family and friends.

跟亲朋好友聚聚。 

The researchers of the brain study published their findings in February in Proceedings⁸ of the National Academy of Sciences.

2月，该研究的科学家将研究结果发表在了《美国科学院论文集》上。 

Goyal and his team plan to continue researching this topic.Currently, they are following a group of adults to see if people with younger-looking brains are less likely to develop problems with their thinking over time.

戈亚尔及其团队计划继续研究这个主题。目前，他们正在跟进一组成年人，想了解有着看起来更年轻头脑的人，随着时间的推移，其思考能力出现问题的可能性是否更低。

Words in This Story

PET scan – n. medical : an image made using positron emission⁹ tomography, especially one of the brain.

inflammation – n. medicine : a condition in which a part of your body becomes red, swollen¹⁰, and painful

cognitive – n. medical : of, relating to, or being conscious intellectual activity (as thinking, reasoning, remembering, imagining, or learning words)

aerobic – adj. of exercise : strengthening the heart and lungs by making them work hard for several minutes or more

1 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。

2 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。

3 lessen   

vt.减少，减轻；缩小

参考例句：

• Regular exercise can help to lessen the pain.经常运动有助于减轻痛感。
• They've made great effort to lessen the noise of planes.他们尽力减小飞机的噪音。

4 cognitive   

adj.认知的，认识的，有感知的

参考例句：

• As children grow older,their cognitive processes become sharper.孩子们越长越大，他们的认知过程变得更为敏锐。
• The cognitive psychologist is like the tinker who wants to know how a clock works.认知心理学者倒很像一个需要通晓钟表如何运转的钟表修理匠。

5 disorder   

n.紊乱，混乱；骚动，骚乱；疾病，失调

参考例句：

• When returning back,he discovered the room to be in disorder.回家后，他发现屋子里乱七八糟。
• It contained a vast number of letters in great disorder.里面七零八落地装着许多信件。

6 aerobic   

adj.需氧的，增氧健身法的，有氧的

参考例句：

• Aerobic exercise helps to build up stamina.有氧健身操有助于增强耐力。
• Aerobic dance is conductive to the health.有氧舞蹈有助于健康。

7 Mediterranean   

adj.地中海的；地中海沿岸的

参考例句：

• The houses are Mediterranean in character.这些房子都属地中海风格。
• Gibraltar is the key to the Mediterranean.直布罗陀是地中海的要冲。

8 proceedings   

n.进程，过程，议程；诉讼(程序)；公报

参考例句：

• He was released on bail pending committal proceedings. 他交保获释正在候审。
• to initiate legal proceedings against sb 对某人提起诉讼

9 emission   

n.发出物，散发物；发出，散发

参考例句：

• Rigorous measures will be taken to reduce the total pollutant emission.采取严格有力措施，降低污染物排放总量。
• Finally,the way to effectively control particulate emission is pointed out.最后，指出有效降低颗粒排放的方向。

10 swollen   

adj.肿大的，水涨的；v.使变大，肿胀

参考例句：

• Her legs had got swollen from standing up all day.因为整天站着，她的双腿已经肿了。
• A mosquito had bitten her and her arm had swollen up.蚊子叮了她，她的手臂肿起来了。