2007年VOA标准英语-New Study Links Obesity in Children With Lack o

By Carol Pearson
Washington, D.C.
13 February 2007
 
watch Sleep report

Children who do not get enough sleep are often irritable¹ and unable to concentrate in school.  But now a new study suggests lack of sleep could also contribute to the epidemic² of childhood obesity³ in many countries.  VOA's Carol Pearson has more on that study and other research connecting sleepiness with obesity.

If children got to bed earlier and woke up later, fewer kids would be overweight. That is the conclusion of a newly published study on children and sleep. 

The study was conducted at Northwestern University. It followed more than 2,000 children from three to 18 years of age.

Researchers weighed the participants then checked them again five years later. The children or their parents kept sleep journals.

The researchers found children who slept less weighed more than those who got more sleep. Children who had just one extra hour of sleep each night were 20 percent less likely to be overweight five years later.  Later bedtimes play a greater role in overweight children between 3 and 8 years of age, while earlier waking times play a greater role in the weight of children aged⁴ 8 to 13.

Experts recommend that children under five get 11 to 13 hours of sleep each night; that children five to 12 get 10 to 11 hours of sleep, and that teenagers get nine hours.

Other research shows a connection between lack of sleep and the hormone⁵ that causes hunger.  In this study, where volunteers had their sleep curtailed⁶, the hunger hormone, ghrelin, rose 24 percent.

Professor Eve Van Cauter at the University of Chicago says, "You're more hungry, even if you have the same amount of food.  And so you're more likely to over-eat and thus gain weight."

Both studies agree with what sleep specialist Dr. Beth Malow at Vanderbilt University has found: "This research is consistent with prior studies, it's relatively⁷ new, and it's really applicable for people of all ages."

The studies suggest sleep, at least more of it, could reduce the risk of being overweight and the medical problems that accompany weighing too much.

1 irritable   

adj.急躁的；过敏的；易怒的

参考例句：

• He gets irritable when he's got toothache.他牙一疼就很容易发脾气。
• Our teacher is an irritable old lady.She gets angry easily.我们的老师是位脾气急躁的老太太。她很容易生气。

2 epidemic   

n.流行病；盛行；adj.流行性的，流传极广的

参考例句：

• That kind of epidemic disease has long been stamped out.那种传染病早已绝迹。
• The authorities tried to localise the epidemic.当局试图把流行病限制在局部范围。

3 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。

4 aged   

adj.年老的，陈年的

参考例句：

• He had put on weight and aged a little.他胖了，也老点了。
• He is aged,but his memory is still good.他已年老，然而记忆力还好。

5 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。

6 curtailed   

v.截断，缩短( curtail的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Spending on books has been severely curtailed. 购书开支已被大大削减。
• Their public health programme had to be severely curtailed. 他们的公共卫生计划不得不大大收缩。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 relatively   

adv.比较...地，相对地

参考例句：

• The rabbit is a relatively recent introduction in Australia.兔子是相对较新引入澳大利亚的物种。
• The operation was relatively painless.手术相对来说不痛。