HEALTH REPORT - Obesity and Heart Disease

HEALTH REPORT
–
August 14, 2002: Obesity¹ and Heart Disease

By Jill Moss²

This is the VOA Special English Health Report.

More people around the world are becoming too fat. The World Heart Federation³ in Geneva, Switzerland, reports
that the number of overweight and obese⁴ people is increasing. The organization says about seven-hundredmillion
people around the world weigh too much. It says about three-hundred-million adults are obese. Obese
people are fatter than those who are simply overweight.

Health experts fear this increase in obesity will lead to an increase in the number of people with heart disease and
stroke. The World Heart Federation estimates seventeen-million people around the world die each year from
heart disease or stroke. Research shows these two conditions are among the most common health problems
related to obesity. Others include diabetes⁵ and high blood pressure.

A new American study says being even moderately overweight increases the chances of developing heart failure.
The study says the risk of heart failure is one -hundred percent higher among obese people, compared with those
of normal weight. The risk is thirty-four percent higher among overweight people.

Janet Voute (JAH -net VOTE) heads the World Heart Federation. She says that obesity is not just a problem in
rich countries. It has also become a problem in developing nations. Mizz Voute says people ’s lives become less
healthy when they move from farming areas to cities. For example, as people earn more money, they stop
walking or riding bicycles and instead buy a car. Also, people in cities eat fewer fruits and vegetables and more
fatty foods and foods with no nutritional⁶ value.The World Heart Federation is also concerned that obesity in
children is increasing. The World Health Organization estimates that about twenty -two-million children under
age five are overweight. In the United States, eleven percent of children are obese. In Beijing, China, twenty
percent of school children are obese. Sixteen percent of schoolboys in Saudi Arabia are considered obese.

The World Heart Federation is urging governments to support healthy ways of living as part of its campaign
against obesity. Officials say the best ways to prevent obesity is to increase physical exercise, reduce television
watching and eat more healthy foods.

This VOA Special English Health Report was written by Jill Moss. This is

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1 obesity   

n.肥胖，肥大

参考例句：

• 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 moss   

n.苔，藓，地衣

参考例句：

• Moss grows on a rock.苔藓生在石头上。
• He was found asleep on a pillow of leaves and moss.有人看见他枕着树叶和苔藓睡着了。

3 federation   

n.同盟，联邦，联合，联盟，联合会

参考例句：

• It is a federation of 10 regional unions.它是由十个地方工会结合成的联合会。
• Mr.Putin was inaugurated as the President of the Russian Federation.普京正式就任俄罗斯联邦总统。

4 obese   

adj.过度肥胖的，肥大的

参考例句：

• 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。

5 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。

6 nutritional   

adj.营养的，滋养的

参考例句：

• A diet lacking in nutritional value will not keep a person healthy.缺乏营养价值的饮食不能维持人的健康。
• The labels on food products give a lot of information about their nutritional content.食品上的标签提供很多关于营养成分的信息。