Anti-Aging Research

By Nancy Steinbach

Broadcast: September 24, 2003

This is Phoebe Zimmermann with the VOA Special English Health Report.
For many years, researchers have been studying ways to extend life and to improve health as people get older.
They know that laboratory rats and other creatures live longer if they are fed a diet with fewer 1)calories than normal. Scientists have found that 2)enzymes called sirtuins (sir-TOO-ins) help 3)cells repair damage and survive longer.
David Sinclair of Harvard University calls sirtuins "guardians² of the cell." Mister Sinclair has been looking for ways to strengthen this protection. He and his research team mixed some of the sirtuins with different 4)molecules to test the effects. The molecule³ that reacted the most was resveratrol.
Researchers at Harvard Medical School in Massachusetts say this natural chemical lengthened⁴ the life of yeast⁵ cells. The researchers reported their findings this month in the publication Nature.
One of the places resveratrol is found is in the skin of grapes. So, it is in wine. Red wine contains more of it than white wine.
The Harvard researchers placed different amounts of resveretrol into dishes of yeast. They discovered that the smallest amount of the chemical appeared to have the greatest effect. They found that the 5)yeast cells divided seventy percent more than normal.
The researchers also exposed human cells to dangerous radiation. They found that the cells treated with resveratrol lived longer than those not treated.
Tests have also been done on fruit flies and worms. The researchers say the chemical appears to have a similar effect. Fruit flies and worms have a lot in common with human biology. Studies are also planned on mice and monkeys.
The researchers say they would like to extend human life by several years. They also want to make those last years of life healthier than they are now.
Mister Sinclair says he drinks a glass of red wine a day. Studies have shown that wine can be good for the heart. But the scientist adds that the resveratrol is lost in the air within a day of opening a wine bottle. Also, large amounts of alcohol can cause liver damage, weight gain and other problems.
Some experts like the idea of a drug that would copy the effects of a reduced-calorie diet as a way to extend life. But any drugs based on resveratol are years away.
This VOA Special English Health Report was written by Nancy Steinbach. This is Phoebe Zimmermann.

注释：
1) calorie [5kAlEri] n.卡路里
2) enzyme¹ [5enzaim] n.（生化）酶
3) cell [sel] n.细胞
4) molecule [5mClikju:l] n.（化）分子
5) yeast [ji:st] n.酵母

 

1 enzyme   

n.酵素，酶

参考例句：

• Above a certain temperature,the enzyme molecule will become unfolded.超过一定温度，酶分子将会展开。
• An enzyme that dissolves the fibrin of blood clots.能溶解血凝块中的纤维的酶。

2 guardians   

监护人( guardian的名词复数 )； 保护者，维护者

参考例句：

• Farmers should be guardians of the countryside. 农民应是乡村的保卫者。
• The police are guardians of law and order. 警察是法律和秩序的护卫者。

3 molecule   

n.分子，克分子

参考例句：

• A molecule of water is made up of two atoms of hygrogen and one atom of oxygen.一个水分子是由P妈̬f婘̬ 妈̬成的。
• This gives us the structural formula of the molecule.这种方式给出了分子的结构式。

4 lengthened   

（时间或空间）延长，伸长( lengthen的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The afternoon shadows lengthened. 下午影子渐渐变长了。
• He wanted to have his coat lengthened a bit. 他要把上衣放长一些。

5 yeast   

n.酵母；酵母片；泡沫；v.发酵；起泡沫

参考例句：

• Yeast can be used in making beer and bread.酵母可用于酿啤酒和发面包。
• The yeast began to work.酵母开始发酵。