HEALTH REPORT - Testing for Pre-Diabetes

HEALTH REPORT-Testing for Pre-Diabetes¹

By Nancy Steinbach
Broadcast: April 17, 2002
This is the VOA Special English Health Report.

American health experts say more people should be tested for a condition called pre diabetes.
Recent health studies have shown that people can delay or prevent the disease
diabetes by losing weight and increasing physical exercise.

About one-hundred-thirty-five -million people around the world have diabetes. They have
high levels of the sugar called glucose² in their blood. Glucose levels increase when the
body lacks or cannot use the hormone³ insulin. This results in diabetes.

The disease damages a person’s blood vessels⁴, kidneys⁵, eyes and nerves. It stops blood
flow to the feet and legs. And it increases the chances of heart disease and strokes.

There are two kinds of diabetes. Type One develops in children or young adults. Type Two develops in older
adults. This is the kind that researchers now say can be delayed or prevented by testing for pre -diabetes.

People with pre -diabetes have levels of glucose that are higher than normal, but not high enough to be considered
diabetes. There are no signs of this condition. Without treatment, most people with the condition will develop
diabetes.

Health experts note a sharp increase in diabetes as a result of an increase in the
number of Americans who are too fat. Government health experts and the American
Diabetes Association are beginning a campaign to educate people about this danger.
They say doctors can test people in two ways. One blood test measures the level of
glucose in the blood after the person has not eaten for about twelve hours. Another
test measures the glucose level two hours after the person drinks a liquid containing
glucose.

The government says doctors should test people over the age of forty-four who are

overweight. It says doctors should also consider testing younger people who are
overweight or have family members with diabetes. People found to have pre-diabetes should receive advice about
ways to lose weight and increase exercise.

Researchers in Finland and the United States have studied overweight people with pre-diabetes. Two large
studies showed that those who lost weight and exercised reduced their chances of developing the disease by fifty-
eight percent. Experts say that people who walk thirty minutes a day can greatly reduce their chance of
developing diabetes.

This VOA Special English Health Report was written by Nancy Steinbach.

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1 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。

2 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。

3 hormone   

n.荷尔蒙，激素，内分泌

参考例句：

• Hormone implants are used as growth boosters.激素植入物被用作生长辅助剂。
• This hormone interacts closely with other hormones in the body.这种荷尔蒙与体內其他荷尔蒙紧密地相互作用。

4 vessels   

n.血管( vessel的名词复数 )；船；容器；（具有特殊品质或接受特殊品质的）人

参考例句：

• The river is navigable by vessels of up to 90 tons. 90 吨以下的船只可以从这条河通过。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• All modern vessels of any size are fitted with radar installations. 所有现代化船只都有雷达装置。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

5 kidneys   

肾形矿脉； 肾，肾脏( kidney的名词复数 )； （可食用的动物的）腰子

参考例句：

• The function of the kidneys is to excrete wastes from the body. 肾的功能是排泄人体里的废物。
• She got a very dangerous disease of kidneys. 她得了一种很危险的肾病。