VOA慢速英语2020 更多美国人为了健康而节食（在线收听）

More Americans say they are on a special diet compared with Americans about 10 years ago. That information comes from a report released this week by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or CDC.

相比10年前，现在有更多的美国人称他们正在节食。这一信息来自美国疾病控制与预防中心（简称CDC）本周发布的一份报告。

The increased dieting comes at a time when obesity levels continue to rise. The CDC report found that 17 percent of Americans said they were on diets in 2017-2018 — up from 14 percent about 10 years earlier. Over the same period, obesity levels increased in the U.S. to 42 percent — up from 34 percent.

节食增加之际，肥胖水平正在持续上升。美疾控中心的报告发现，17%的美国人称他们在2017到2018年之间一直在节食，这一比例较约10年前的14%有所上升。同一时期，美国的肥胖率从34%上升到42%。

Dana Hunnes is a professor of public health and nutrition at the University of California, Los Angeles. Hunnes said that the number of Americans who said that they are on a diet is lower than expected. This is because diet-related diseases are very common in the country.

黛娜·胡恩斯是加州大学洛杉矶分校的公共卫生和营养学教授。胡恩斯表示，自称正在节食的美国人数量比预期的要少。这是因为与饮食有关的疾病在美国非常普遍。

The report noted that about half of American adults have diet-related health problems, such as diabetes and heart disease. Overall, more women reported being on a diet than men.

报告指出，约一半的美国成年人存在与饮食有关的健康问题，比如糖尿病和心脏病。总的来说，报告节食的女性多于男性。

The heavier and more educated people were, the more likely they were to report being on a special diet, the study found.

研究发现，体重越重、受教育程度越高的人，越有可能报告自已正在节食。

Between 2007 and 2008, and 2017 and 2018, diets described as "weight loss or low calorie" grew in popularity. Low-carbohydrate diets became more popular, while low-fat and low-cholesterol diets became less popular.

2007年至2008年以及2017年至2018年间，被称为“减肥或低卡路里”的饮食越来越受欢迎。低碳水化合物饮食变得更受欢迎，而低脂肪和低胆固醇饮食则变得不那么受欢迎。

The findings were part of an ongoing national survey. People who took part in the survey were asked the following question: "Are you currently on any kind of diet, either to lose weight or for some other health-related reason?"

这些发现是正在进行的全国性调查的一部分。参与调查者被问到以下问题：“你目前是否为了减肥或其他与健康有关的原因而在节食？”

Becky Ramsing is a dietician and program officer at Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future. Ramsing said that people make very different kinds of choices in the hopes of losing weight. In some cases, she said people might not understand why the choices they make do not help them lose weight.

贝基·拉姆辛是约翰·霍普金斯宜居未来中心的营养师和项目官员。拉姆辛表示，人们为了减肥而做出的选择各不相同。她说，在某些情况下，人们可能不明白为什么他们所做的选择无助于减肥。

"They won't eat bread, but then they'll go eat a lot of other things that are higher in calories," she said.

她表示：“他们不吃面包，但之后他们会吃很多其他热量更高的东西。”

Ramsing added that many American diet trends ban some foods. But to make lasting changes, she said people should consider their eating overall. That will help them deal with another problem of diets, she noted. Diets are hard to continue doing over time.

拉姆辛补充说，许多美国饮食趋势会禁止一些食物。但她表示，要想做出持久的改变，人们应该全面考虑自己的饮食。她指出，这将有助于他们解决另一个饮食问题。随着时间的推移，节食很难继续下去。

Words in This Story

obesity – n. a condition involving an excessive amount of body fat

carbohydrate – n. any one of various substances found in certain foods (such as bread, rice, and potatoes) that provide your body with heat and energy and are made of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen

cholesterol – n. a substance that is found in the bodies of people and animals

survey – n. an activity in which many people are asked a question or a series of questions in order to gather information about what most people do or think about something

dietician – n. a person whose job is to give people advice about what to eat in order to be healthy

trend – n. something that is currently popular or fashionable