VOA标准英语2010-Study Says Preventable Diseases Reduce US

Carol Pearson 08 April 2010

Life expectancy¹ is rising in much of the world. But doctors are seeing another trend that is disturbing. Some people are choosing lifestyles that contribute to early death. A new U.S. study looks at four lifestyle choices that prevent people from staying healthy and living longer.

It used to be rare for people to live to 100. But babies born in the U.S. today can hope to live that long.

In the 20th century, life expectancy in wealthy nations increased by as much as 30 years. Average life expectancy for Americans is 78.

But doctors are seeing people adopt bad habits that can cut their lives short....like eating too much or eating too much junk food, exercising too little and smoking cigarettes.

These habits increase the risk for cancer, diabetes², heart disease and stroke.

Researchers at Harvard University and the University of Washington wanted to find out how many years are lost with these lifestyle choices.

 

"What we found was that high blood pressure, smoking, overweight/obesity³ and high blood glucose⁴ account for five years of loss of life expectancy in men and about four years in women at the national level," Goodarz Danaei, one of the principal researchers said.

The researchers broke down the data into race, income and locale and they found even greater differences.

Middle-income whites have the best blood pressure. But Asian-Americans have fewer bad habits and the best health.

"They are not getting heart disease because of low blood pressure, they are not getting cancer because they have low risk factors for cancer, including smoking," Danaei said.

The researchers found a 14-year difference in life expectancy between Asian-American and African-American men who can expect to live an average of 67 years.

"African-American men in the south have the lowest life expectancy, along with African-American men living in high-risk urban areas, places like downtown Los Angeles," Danaei explained. 

African-American women are another group with low life expectancy because of their high rates of obesity.

People battling excess weight have higher rates of disability, diabetes and heart disease - disorders⁵ that make them sicker at younger ages and dependent on medications for many years.

The researchers say public health officials could use the study to plan programs that will help people make better lifestyle choices.

 

1 expectancy   

n.期望，预期，（根据概率统计求得）预期数额

参考例句：

• Japanese people have a very high life expectancy.日本人的平均寿命非常长。
• The atomosphere of tense expectancy sobered everyone.这种期望的紧张气氛使每个人变得严肃起来。

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 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。

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 disorders   

n.混乱( disorder的名词复数 )；凌乱；骚乱；（身心、机能）失调

参考例句：

• Reports of anorexia and other eating disorders are on the increase. 据报告，厌食症和其他饮食方面的功能紊乱发生率正在不断增长。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The announcement led to violent civil disorders. 这项宣布引起剧烈的骚乱。 来自《简明英汉词典》