时间:2018-12-16 作者:英语课 分类:VOA标准英语2012年(一月)


英语课

Obesity 1 Linked to Brain Damage


 


Researchers are beginning to understand why lasting 2 weight loss is so hard. They believe it has to do with damage to the part of the brain that’s involved in weight control.



If obese 3 people stop overeating, switch to a healthful diet and start exercising, they lose weight. However, they may quickly gain it back again. The reason, say researchers, is not a lack of willpower but injury to brain cells, or neurons, in the hypothalamus - a structure deep in the brain that helps control a number of body functions including appetite and weight.



The notion that brain damage might play a role in body weight is not a new one, according to Michael Schwartz of the Diabetes 4 and Obesity Center at the University of Washington in Seattle.



Scientists have known for about five years that the hypothalamus of overweight animals - including humans - displays inflammation, a typical reaction to injury.



But researchers, led by Schwartz, wanted to determine the role hypothalamus injury plays in obesity, and they had several questions they wanted to answer:



“Is it simply a consequence of becoming obese or does it occur before the obesity occurs?" says Schwartz. "And what could be driving that response? What is causing the inflammatory response and could that have something to do with the obesity itself?”









Scientists have found that injury to brain cells in the hypothalamus plays a role in obesity.




Schwartz’s team put laboratory mice and rats on a high-fat diet to make them gain weight. When they looked for evidence of inflammation in their brains, they made a startling discovery.



“We were frankly 5 shocked to realize the inflammation became apparent within 24 hours of the switch in diet,” says Schwartz.



The researchers also saw evidence of a strong and rapid neuro-protective response, as cells were activated 6 to repair the damaged neurons. But the animals were kept on the high-fat diet for nine months and the inflammation eventually returned.



The key message, according to Schwartz, is that it’s not the fault of people who try and fail repeatedly to lose weight through dieting.



“Our data would point to a more structural 7, biological basis for why it is difficult to keep weight off," he says. "It has to do with damage to the brain area that is responsible for controlling body weight.”



Schwartz says that also explains why drugs are not effective at helping 8 people achieve lasting weight loss. The compounds currently available do not target what appears to be the underlying 9 cause of obesity.



1 obesity
n.肥胖,肥大
  • 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。
2 lasting
adj.永久的,永恒的;vbl.持续,维持
  • The lasting war debased the value of the dollar.持久的战争使美元贬值。
  • We hope for a lasting settlement of all these troubles.我们希望这些纠纷能获得永久的解决。
3 obese
adj.过度肥胖的,肥大的
  • The old man is really obese,it can't be healthy.那位老人确实过于肥胖了,不能算是健康。
  • Being obese and lazy is dangerous to health.又胖又懒危害健康。
4 diabetes
n.糖尿病
  • 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。
5 frankly
adv.坦白地,直率地;坦率地说
  • To speak frankly, I don't like the idea at all.老实说,我一点也不赞成这个主意。
  • Frankly speaking, I'm not opposed to reform.坦率地说,我不反对改革。
6 activated
adj.构造的,组织的,建筑(用)的
  • The storm caused no structural damage.风暴没有造成建筑结构方面的破坏。
  • The North American continent is made up of three great structural entities.北美大陆是由三个构造单元组成的。
7 helping
n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的,辅助的
  • 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。
8 underlying
adj.在下面的,含蓄的,潜在的
  • The underlying theme of the novel is very serious.小说隐含的主题是十分严肃的。
  • This word has its underlying meaning.这个单词有它潜在的含义。
学英语单词
a little romance
Aerobryopsis
aeronautical light
aft end
air tight packing
antenodals
Aristolo
attwaters
b-flat clarinets
barre dyeing
baud transmission rate
be overexposed
bluish-greier
borraginaceous
brush collector
Bwiru
calcium carbide structure
Chehariz
Chiemgauer Alpen
CIOMS
circle eccentricity
condenser coil-in-box
coucher
covercharge
critical absorption wavelength
curiescopy
dar chabanne
deck hand
decomposition electric potential
diadexis
direct access inquiry
disease prevalence
distorn
double echo check
electric interlocking device
elucubration
emergency shut-down member
epitaphist
eric information retrieval center
exchange risk premium
Garry L.
goodge
heat of friction
hot air cure
hypoperfusions
initial program load mode switch
instantaneous floating point gain
interactive experience
Karumai
long house
manic state rating scale
maulgre
metal card storage
method of eliminating block effects
Micklefield
mixed laterality
Montreal Metropolitan Community
nature's
noncomprehension
not a jot
oh bother
old fogey
ollamh
one-hour rating
overpoised
paracentral fixation
Presbyterism
principle of continuity of electric current
quad-band
reconnaissance boat
responsi
retraction nystagmus
rhyme-royal
roots of trigeminal nerve
Rujewa
Rüdershausen
sailmaker's tool
schrack
screw-holder
section form
Shapwick
short goods
shortsightedly
slips in
spanish burgoos
Speciadopa
sraddha
stand of rolls
star key
stomoxys calcitran
swimming goggles
TURCAP
Tõstamaa
unipresence
universal quantifier
valvo
ventailles
warroad
well spacing
whoopee doo
Yahoo Messenger
yellow clunamon soil