Diabetes in Developing Countries

By Jill Moss¹

Broadcast: November 24, 2003

This is Robert Covent with the VOA Special English Development Report.
The World Health Organization says it expects two times as many cases of 1)diabetes² in developing countries within thirty years. Developing countries had one-hundred-fifteen million diabetics in two-thousand, or two out of three cases worldwide. In two-thousand-thirty that share is expected to be three out of four cases.
The W-H-O is working with the International Diabetes Federation³ to fight the increase. It says many cases could be prevented by better nutrition and more physical activity.
The W-H-O released its report for the yearly observance of World Diabetes Day on November fourteenth. That is the birthday of Canadian scientist Frederick Banting. He and his assistant Charles Best did research that led to the discovery of 2)insulin in nineteen-twenty-one.
People with diabetes have too much of a sugar called 3)glucose⁴ in their blood. Glucose levels rise when the body cannot produce insulin, or cannot use this 4)hormone⁵ correctly. The pancreas is the organ that produces insulin. Insulin helps glucose enter cells to use as fuel.
There are two kinds of diabetes. Type One is usually found in children and young people. It results when the body's own defense⁶ system destroys cells in the pancreas that produce insulin.
In Type Two diabetes, the 5)pancreas produces insulin, but the body is not able to use it. This kind of diabetes usually appears in adults. But doctors also see it increasingly in overweight children. About ninety percent of all cases of diabetes worldwide are Type Two.
Experts warn about the economic costs of an increase in diabetes. The W-H-O estimates that countries now spend up to fifteen percent of their yearly health care budgets on this disease. Then there is also the amount of money lost in worker productivity.
Diabetes is often linked to a high-fat diet and little exercise. But health officials say it no longer affects mostly rich nations.
People with diabetes can often control it through better nutrition, more physical exercise and the use of medicine.
The World Health Organization is developing what it calls a Global Strategy on Diet and Physical Activity. It says this plan will support its efforts to help countries prevent diabetes and other diseases related to unhealthy diets and lack of activity.
This VOA Special English Development Report was written by Jill Moss. This is Robert Covent.

注释：
1) diabetes [7daiE5bi:ti:z, -ti:s] n.（医）糖尿病
2) insulin [5insjulin] n.胰岛素
3) glucose [5^lu:kEus] n.葡萄糖
4) hormone [5hC:mEun] n.荷尔蒙，激素
5) pancreas [5pAnkriEs, 5pAN-] n.（解）胰腺

1 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。

2 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。

3 federation   

n.同盟，联邦，联合，联盟，联合会

参考例句：

• It is a federation of 10 regional unions.它是由十个地方工会结合成的联合会。
• Mr.Putin was inaugurated as the President of the Russian Federation.普京正式就任俄罗斯联邦总统。

4 glucose   

n.葡萄糖

参考例句：

• I gave him an extra dose of glucose to pep him up.我给他多注射了一剂葡萄糖以增强他的活力。
• The doctor injected glucose into his patient's veins.医生将葡萄糖注入病人的静脉。

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 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。