VOA标准英语2011--Study: Vitamin B12 Deficits in Older Adults Linked to Brain Decline

Study: Vitamin B12 Deficits¹ in Older Adults Linked to Brain Decline

A new study says deficiencies of Vitamin B12 might be responsible for declining brain function in older adults. Although people normally get plenty of B12 from fish, meat and dairy products, as well as fortified² cereals and supplements, their ability to absorb the essential nutrient³ can be blocked by a number of factors.

Those include excessive alcohol consumption, anemia⁴ and various digestive-system disorders⁵. Health experts say regular screening and heightened public awareness⁶.can help avoid those potentially brain-wasting deficits.

Just as muscles in the body shrink from malnutrition⁷, a new study done on people age 65 and older says the human brain starts shrinking when there is not enough vitamin B12 in the body.

It’s a key component⁸ of the neurotransmitters in the brain, and part of the nutritional⁹ substance essentially¹⁰ of the brain cells, of the nerves or neurons in the brain," said Dr. Michael Yochelson, a neurologist and the chief medical officer at National Rehabilitation¹¹ Hospital in Washington.

He says the link between vitamin B12 deficiencies and loss of brain volume is important to know about, because the vitamin plays such a critical role in cognition.

“We found that evidence of B12 deficiency was associated with a smaller brain volume and with increased white-matter hyper intensities¹² on the brain images. We also found that the markers of vitamin B12 deficiency were associated with lower cognitive¹³ scores in this sample," said Dr. Martha Claire Morris, one of the authors of the study.

Fish, meat, dairy products, and foods rich in protein are good sources of vitamin B12. Yochelson notes that plant-based diets, as well as diets high in carbohydrates¹⁴, are generally lacking in B12.

He believes people worldwide should be taking vitamin B12 supplements, in the form of pills, injections, or nasal sprays, to prevent the kind of brain function loss described in the study.

“The key [lesson] from this is that we probably need to be testing for this very early on because if there is any hope of successful treatment, it's most likely early treatment before somebody develops cognitive impairment,” Yochelson said.

Dr. Yochelson says the new study should serve as a foundation for more research on younger populations, especially those in Africa, South Asia, and South and Central America, regions with the highest rates of B12 deficiency.

1 deficits   

n.不足额( deficit的名词复数 )；赤字；亏空；亏损

参考例句：

• The Ministry of Finance consistently overestimated its budget deficits. 财政部一贯高估预算赤字。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Many of the world's farmers are also incurring economic deficits. 世界上许多农民还在遭受经济上的亏损。 来自辞典例句

2 fortified   

adj. 加强的

参考例句：

• He fortified himself against the cold with a hot drink. 他喝了一杯热饮御寒。
• The enemy drew back into a few fortified points. 敌人收缩到几个据点里。

3 nutrient   

adj.营养的，滋养的；n.营养物，营养品

参考例句：

• Magnesium is the nutrient element in plant growth.镁是植物生长的营养要素。
• The roots transmit moisture and nutrient to the trunk and branches.根将水分和养料输送到干和枝。

4 anemia   

n.贫血，贫血症

参考例句：

• The doctors analyzed the blood sample for anemia. 医生们分析了贫血的血样。
• I was put on iron tablets for my anemia.我曾因贫血吃补铁药片。

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》

6 awareness   

n.意识，觉悟，懂事，明智

参考例句：

• There is a general awareness that smoking is harmful.人们普遍认识到吸烟有害健康。
• Environmental awareness has increased over the years.这些年来人们的环境意识增强了。

7 malnutrition   

n.营养不良

参考例句：

• In Africa, there are a lot of children suffering from severe malnutrition.在非洲有大批严重营养不良的孩子。
• It is a classic case of malnutrition. 这是营养不良的典型病例。

8 component   

n.组成部分，成分，元件；adj.组成的，合成的

参考例句：

• Each component is carefully checked before assembly.每个零件在装配前都经过仔细检查。
• Blade and handle are the component parts of a knife.刀身和刀柄是一把刀的组成部分。

9 nutritional   

adj.营养的，滋养的

参考例句：

• A diet lacking in nutritional value will not keep a person healthy.缺乏营养价值的饮食不能维持人的健康。
• The labels on food products give a lot of information about their nutritional content.食品上的标签提供很多关于营养成分的信息。

10 essentially   

adv.本质上，实质上，基本上

参考例句：

• Really great men are essentially modest.真正的伟人大都很谦虚。
• She is an essentially selfish person.她本质上是个自私自利的人。

11 rehabilitation   

n.康复，悔过自新，修复，复兴，复职，复位

参考例句：

• He's booked himself into a rehabilitation clinic.他自己联系了一家康复诊所。
• No one can really make me rehabilitation of injuries.已经没有人可以真正令我的伤康复了。

12 intensities   

n.强烈( intensity的名词复数 )；（感情的）强烈程度；强度；烈度

参考例句：

• At very high intensities, nuclear radiations cause itching and tingling of the skin. 当核辐射强度很高时，它能使皮肤感到发痒和刺痛。 来自辞典例句
• They ask again and again in a variety of ways and intensities. 他们会以不同的方式和强度来不停地问，直到他得到自己想要的答案为止。 来自互联网

13 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。

14 carbohydrates   

n.碳水化合物，糖类( carbohydrate的名词复数 )；淀粉质或糖类食物

参考例句：

• The plant uses the carbohydrates to make cellulose. 植物用碳水化合物制造纤维素。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• All carbohydrates originate from plants. 所有的碳水化合物均来自植物。 来自辞典例句