HEALTH REPORT - New Findings About Cholesterol and Heart Att

HEALTH REPORT - New Findings About Cholesterol¹ and Heart Attacks
By Jerilyn Watson

Broadcast: Wednesday, March 31, 2004

This is the VOA Special English Health Report.

Sometimes people have the idea that all cholesterol in the blood is bad. But the body needs this fatty substance to create cells and hormones². The liver produces all the cholesterol we need.

Low-density lipoprotein, or L.D.L., carries cholesterol into the blood. L.D.L. that is not used by cells is called "bad" cholesterol. High-density lipoprotein, H.D.L., is considered "good." H.D.L. gathers up the unused cholesterol and moves it back to the liver. The liver then destroys it.

If L.D.L. levels are too high, then the blood has more cholesterol than the H.D.L. can remove. The extra cholesterol sticks to the inside of the arteries³. This can restrict blood flow or cause blockages⁴ that result in heart attacks and strokes. For this reason, doctors often place more importance on high levels of H.D.L., the good cholesterol.

But new research questions this way of thinking. Daniel Rader is a professor who does cholesterol research at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. Doctor Rader agrees that high H.D.L. is a good thing. In general, he says, people with higher levels of good cholesterol have less chance of a heart attack.

Yet many doctors see patients with high levels of both good and bad cholesterol. These patients may not receive drugs to lower their bad cholesterol because their H.D.L. level is high. Such drugs are called statins. But Doctor Rader says high H.D.L. alone does not provide enough protection.

Currently doctors are told to treat patients with heart disease or diabetes⁵ until their L.D.L. is below a level of one-hundred. But Doctor Radar⁶ notes new findings that even this may not be low enough to protect against heart attack or stroke.

Doctors know that lowering bad cholesterol reduces the risk of heart attacks. But the new study shows that lowering it more aggressively lowers that risk even more.

The findings are from a study called PROVE-IT. The study was released at a meeting of the American College of Cardiology. A report will appear in the New England Journal of Medicine.

The risk of heart disease increases in people who smoke tobacco, weigh too much or do not exercise. Other influences are high blood pressure, age and family history.

This Special English Health Report was written by Jerilyn Watson.

1 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。

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 arteries   

n.动脉( artery的名词复数 )；干线，要道

参考例句：

• Even grafting new blood vessels in place of the diseased coronary arteries has been tried. 甚至移植新血管代替不健康的冠状动脉的方法都已经试过。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• This is the place where the three main arteries of West London traffic met. 这就是伦敦西部三条主要交通干线的交汇处。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 blockages   

n.堵塞物( blockage的名词复数 )；堵塞，阻塞

参考例句：

• The storms could increase the risks posed by river blockages. 暴风雨会增加因河道堵塞所造成的危险。 来自互联网
• An angiogram shows the location and severity of blockages in blood vessels. 冠状动脉造影能够显示血管内的阻塞位置以及阻塞的严重程度。 来自互联网

5 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。

6 radar   

n.雷达，无线电探测器

参考例句：

• They are following the flight of an aircraft by radar.他们正在用雷达追踪一架飞机的飞行。
• Enemy ships were detected on the radar.敌舰的影像已显现在雷达上。