VOA常速英语2007年-New Study Shows Fitness More Important Than Wei

By Carol Pearson
Washington
06 December 2007
 

A new study offers some encouragement to people who are overweight, particularly for those over the age of 60. The study suggests that fitness matters more than extra weight in terms of overall health and longevity¹. VOA's Carol Pearson has more.

Numerous studies have shown that regular exercise can do wonders for people's health.

It lowers blood pressure, reduces levels of bad cholesterol² and may even slow progression of some neurological diseases.

It seems that at least some older people have already gotten the word about fitness.

Warren Hughes has big reasons for exercising. She explains, "I want to be able to stay active and I want not to be confined in any way and live longer."

Other older adults echo Hughes. Bernard Solomon is 83. He exercises to help his heart. "What do I notice? I can do it. That's what I notice," he said.

Caroly Wilcox exercises to help fight her osteoporosis. She feels, "I'm stronger, got more stamina³."

Experts in weight loss and obesity⁴, such as Dr. Louis Aronne, agree that older people need to focus more on fitness. "We know that it is critical for older people to maintain their muscle mass and to maintain adequate nutrition stores," Aronne said. 

Researchers followed 2,600 people over the age of 60 and found that those who were overweight but fit are more likely to live longer than their slimmer but less fit peers.

Dr. Steven Blair at the University of South Carolina led the study and explains, "Even in individuals who were fat, indeed even in people who were obese⁵, if they were fit, they did not have a higher risk of dying."

And just how much exercise makes a person physically⁶ fit? Dr. Blair says if you do 30 minutes of brisk walking five days a week, you are considered fit, whatever your weight.

And people who do more have a lower death rate.

"As a 68-year old fat man, I'm still running 25 miles a week," says Dr. Blair.

He adds, people who are severely⁷ obese do have higher death rates, but in general, fitness means living longer.

Some video courtesy of the Journal of the American Medical Association

1 longevity   

n.长命；长寿

参考例句：

• Good habits promote longevity.良好的习惯能增长寿命。
• Human longevity runs in families.人类的长寿具有家族遗传性。

2 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。

3 stamina   

n.体力；精力；耐力

参考例句：

• I lacked the stamina to run the whole length of the race.我没有跑完全程的耐力。
• Giving up smoking had a magical effect on his stamina.戒烟神奇地增强了他的体力。

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 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。

6 physically   

adj.物质上，体格上，身体上，按自然规律

参考例句：

• He was out of sorts physically,as well as disordered mentally.他浑身不舒服，心绪也很乱。
• Every time I think about it I feel physically sick.一想起那件事我就感到极恶心。

7 severely   

adv.严格地；严厉地；非常恶劣地

参考例句：

• He was severely criticized and removed from his post.他受到了严厉的批评并且被撤了职。
• He is severely put down for his careless work.他因工作上的粗心大意而受到了严厉的批评。