VOA标准英语2013--Doctors Say Most Heart Disease Preventable

 

Doctors Say Most Heart Disease Preventable

No one would have guessed that Barbara Teng would have a heart attack. She was not overweight. She did not smoke. But she also did not exercise.

“In 2004, the week after I turned 49, when I was on a business trip in Chicago, I had a major heart attack," she said. 

And that changed her life. She now exercises daily, monitors her heart health, and speaks at events held by Sister to Sister, a heart health program for women. Susan Gurley, the organization's director, says the message is urgent.

"Heart disease is 82 percent preventable and it is the leading cause of death for women," she said.

It's also a leading cause of death for men. The World Health Organization reports that more people die each year from heart disease than from any other cause. WHO says more than 60 percent of deaths from cardiovascular disease take place in low and middle-income countries. It says the heart disease pandemic is on the rise. 

Dr. Patrice Desvigne-Nickens is with the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute. She says the key to staying healthy is knowing your numbers. 

"Your weight, your blood cholesterol¹, blood sugar and your blood pressure are important numbers that can help you take action and reduce your risk," she said. 

She says a healthy lifestyle can prevent heart disease. 

"And the steps to take are simple: don’t smoke, maintain a healthy weight, exercise, know your numbers and talk to your physician and control these risks," she said. 

African-Americans are at higher-than-average risk for heart disease and stroke, according to Dr. Michelle Magee. 

"There's a very high prevalence² of uncontrolled hypertension and also unrecognized hypertension so people don't even know they have it, which increases the risk for heart disease and stroke," she said. 

In the nation's capital, Medstar Washington Hospital Center is trying to reach this population - like at this opening of an outreach program at a Washington barber shop. Neighborhood barbers develop relationships with their clients. With the right training, they can play an important role in community health....for example helping³ their clients monitor their blood pressure. 

These programs operate on the premise⁴ that if people realize they are at risk for heart disease, they'll make lifestyle changes: lose weight, exercise, eat the right foods and keep in touch with a doctor. 

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 prevalence   

n. 流行，盛行

参考例句：

• They were very surprised by the prevalence of anti-government sentiments. 他们对普遍存在的反政府情绪感到很吃惊。
• Thus, the prevalence of the disease'should be significantly reduced" by the new regulation. 所以，这种棉屑病应该通过落实新规章而“大大的减少”。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法

3 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

4 premise   

n.前提；v.提论，预述

参考例句：

• Let me premise my argument with a bit of history.让我引述一些史实作为我立论的前提。
• We can deduce a conclusion from the premise.我们可以从这个前提推出结论。