HEALTH REPORT - Guggulsterone & Cholesterol

HEALTH REPORT - May 22, 2002: Guggulsterone & Cholesterol¹

By Nancy Steinbach
21 May 2002, 20:20 UTC

This is the VOA Special English Health Report.

Researchers say that a natural substance found in some trees can control high cholesterol in laboratory animals.
Cholesterol is a fatty substance in the blood. Too much of it can attach to the inside of blood vessels², restrict
blood flow, and cause heart disease.

The guggul (GOO-gle) tree grows in dry areas of India, Pakistan and Afghanistan. A substance
found inside the guggul tree has been used in India for two-thousand years to control weight
and treat arthritis³.

About forty years ago, an Indian researcher found that the substance was effective against heart
disease. Later studies in India showed that it lowered cholesterol. In India, the substance has

been an approved treatment for high cholesterol for almost twenty years.

American researchers at the Baylor School of Medicine in Houston, Texas reported the results of recent work on
the substance in the publication Science. They showed that the liquid inside the guggul tree contains a compound
called guggulsterone (GOO-gle-STER-own). They discovered how guggulsterone controls cholesterol levels. It
blocks the action of a receptor called F-X-R. A receptor is a protein that sends messages to cells. F-X-R helps
control the amount of cholesterol in the body. Blocking the action of the F-X-R receptor would mean that more
cholesterol is naturally removed from the body.

Other researchers at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas tested guggulsterone on two
groups of mice. One group had normal F-X-R receptors. The other group had no F-X-R receptors. The
cholesterol levels dropped in the livers of mice with the F-X-R receptor, but not in the others. The researchers say
this proves that guggulsterone works by affecting the F-X-R receptor.

The researchers do not know how guggulsterone affects the F-X-R receptor. They say more tests must be done.
However, they say the substance might be used to control cholesterol in people who cannot take the drugs now
used for that purpose.

The researchers say the discovery supports the idea that some traditional medicines may have important uses in
modern medicine.

Guggulsterone can be bought in stores around the world. However, the researchers say people should not use it
without medical advice. They say guggulsterone can affect the action of other drugs.

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

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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 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》

3 arthritis   

n.关节炎

参考例句：

• Rheumatoid arthritis has also been linked with the virus.风湿性关节炎也与这种病毒有关。
• He spent three months in the hospital with acute rheumatic arthritis.他患急性风湿性关节炎，在医院住了三个月。