VOA英语2010年-Pregnant Women Who Take Iron

New research reinforces the importance of prenatal iron supplementation for good birth outcomes and continued good health for growing children.

Research over the past 20 years have pointed¹ to the importance of micronutrients - substances found in small amounts in foods that make a big difference. One of the most important micronutrients for pregnant women is iron. Iron is vital to the development of a fetus²' central nervous system, says Parul Christian³, a nutritionist working at the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health.

"Early iron deficiency can change the neuro-anatomy of the brain, and impact the neuro-chemistry of the central nervous system and brain metabolism⁴, that are important for cognitive⁵ development, for sensory-motor development."

But providing vitamin and micronutrient supplements to all pregnant women can be a significant financial burden in low income countries. Some experts argue that it's enough to give infants iron supplements after they're born. That was part of the reason Christian and her colleagues decided⁶ to study poor women in Nepal a decade ago. Some of the women got supplements without iron and folic acid, another important micronutrient, while others got supplements with both micronutrients.

"That study was completed in 2001 and showed iron and folic acid supplementation could have an impact on infant and later childhood survival," Christian says.

That earlier study strengthened the case for supplements, but Christian's new research shows an even longer term impact on children who received iron in utero. She and her colleagues returned to Nepal, and were able to test the neurological development on children who were now on the brink⁷ of adolescence⁸.

"The offspring of the mothers who had received iron and folic acid during pregnancy⁹ through three months postpartum had improved intellectual functioning including improved working memory and inhibitory control, which are domains¹⁰ capturing executive function, and they had better fine motor functioning ability as well."

Christian adds there was a qualitative¹¹ difference between these older children and those whose mothers had received the supplements without iron.

She says these outcomes should remove any doubts lingering in the minds of health planners about whether or not to spend extra dollars to make sure that each pregnant woman receives iron supplementation during pregnancy. And she says in places such as the Asian subcontinent - where iron deficiency is endemic - supplementing with iron delivers an even larger bang for the public health buck¹².

Christian's research appears in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

1 pointed   

adj.尖的，直截了当的

参考例句：

• He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
• She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。

2 fetus   

n.胎，胎儿

参考例句：

• In the fetus,blood cells are formed in different sites at different ages.胎儿的血细胞在不同时期生成在不同的部位。
• No one knows why a fetus is not automatically rejected by the mother's immune system. 没有人知道为什么母亲的免疫系统不会自动排斥胎儿。

3 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

4 metabolism   

n.新陈代谢

参考例句：

• After years of dieting,Carol's metabolism was completely out of whack.经过数年的节食，卡罗尔的新陈代谢完全紊乱了。
• All living matter undergoes a process of metabolism.生物都有新陈代谢。

5 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。

6 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

7 brink   

n.(悬崖、河流等的)边缘，边沿

参考例句：

• The tree grew on the brink of the cliff.那棵树生长在峭壁的边缘。
• The two countries were poised on the brink of war.这两个国家处于交战的边缘。

8 adolescence   

n.青春期，青少年

参考例句：

• Adolescence is the process of going from childhood to maturity.青春期是从少年到成年的过渡期。
• The film is about the trials and tribulations of adolescence.这部电影讲述了青春期的麻烦和苦恼。

9 pregnancy   

n.怀孕，怀孕期

参考例句：

• Early pregnancy is often accompanied by nausea.怀孕早期常有恶心的现象。
• Smoking during pregnancy increases the risk of miscarriage.怀孕期吸烟会增加流产的危险。

10 domains   

n.范围( domain的名词复数 )；领域；版图；地产

参考例句：

• The theory of thermodynamics links the macroscopic and submicroscopic domains. 热力学把宏观世界同亚微观世界联系起来。 来自辞典例句
• All three flow domains are indicated by shading. 所有三个流动区域都是用阴影部分表示的。 来自辞典例句

11 qualitative   

adj.性质上的，质的，定性的

参考例句：

• There are qualitative differences in the way children and adults think.孩子和成年人的思维方式有质的不同。
• Arms races have a quantitative and a qualitative aspects.军备竞赛具有数量和质量两个方面。

12 buck   

n.雄鹿，雄兔；v.马离地跳跃

参考例句：

• The boy bent curiously to the skeleton of the buck.这个男孩好奇地弯下身去看鹿的骸骨。
• The female deer attracts the buck with high-pitched sounds.雌鹿以尖声吸引雄鹿。