2007年VOA标准英语-Study Shows High Fiber Diet Not More Helpful Fi

By Melinda Smith
Washington
18 July 2007
 

We are going to find out about two studies on breast cancer. One studied whether a diet very high in fiber¹ and low in fat could reduce the risk of recurring² breast cancer.  Another study focused on women with a high risk of developing breast cancer to see if their chances of dying from the disease were greater than those with a lower risk of developing breast cancer.  VOA's Carol Pearson has more on the results of both studies.

Eating five servings of fruits and vegetables a day, and getting no more than 30 percent of total calories from fat may help breast cancer survivors³ avoid getting this cancer again.

"What we've got here is a good example of the bold colors and the strong flavors that we've emphasized in the study," explains John Pierce with the University of California Cancer Center in San Diego. He led an international study involving more than 3,000 breast cancer survivors.

"The study dramatically increased vegetables up to about eight vegetable servings.  Part of that was done with vegetable juice.  We got three fruit servings and we took energy from fat down to about 24 percent," says Pierce, with the Moores Cancer Center.

Over a period of six years, half the women in the study ate five servings of fruits and vegetables a day and limited their fat intake⁴ to 30 percent of total calories.  The other half ate a diet higher in fiber and lower in fat.  The findings?  There was no difference between the two groups in recurring breast cancer or living longer.

"You don't need to go ten a day in vegetables and fruits.  Five a day is enough," Pierce says. The study was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Another study, this one published in the New England Journal of Medicine looked at women who have a high risk for inherited breast cancer.

All of us have genes⁶ known as BRCA, but women with a genetic⁷ mutation⁸ of this gene⁵ have a 70 to 90 percent chance of developing breast cancer. 

Researchers studied nearly 1800 women with breast cancer.  About 10 percent had the high-risk genetic mutations.  In both groups more than half the women were still alive 10 years after being diagnosed.  What is more, the women with the BRCA mutation responded equally as well to chemotherapy as the women without this genetic risk.

The only thing that can prolong the lives of women with this genetic mutation is to be monitored closely to catch the early signs of cancer and then to be treated appropriately.

1 fiber   

n.纤维，纤维质

参考例句：

• The basic structural unit of yarn is the fiber.纤维是纱的基本结构单元。
• The material must be free of fiber clumps.这种材料必须无纤维块。

2 recurring   

adj.往复的，再次发生的

参考例句：

• This kind of problem is recurring often. 这类问题经常发生。
• For our own country, it has been a time for recurring trial. 就我们国家而言，它经过了一个反复考验的时期。

3 survivors   

幸存者，残存者，生还者( survivor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The survivors were adrift in a lifeboat for six days. 幸存者在救生艇上漂流了六天。
• survivors clinging to a raft 紧紧抓住救生筏的幸存者

4 intake   

n.吸入，纳入；进气口，入口

参考例句：

• Reduce your salt intake.减少盐的摄入量。
• There was a horrified intake of breath from every child.所有的孩子都害怕地倒抽了一口凉气。

5 gene   

n.遗传因子，基因

参考例句：

• A single gene may have many effects.单一基因可能具有很多种效应。
• The targeting of gene therapy has been paid close attention.其中基因治疗的靶向性是值得密切关注的问题之一。

6 genes   

n.基因( gene的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• You have good genes from your parents, so you should live a long time. 你从父母那儿获得优良的基因，所以能够活得很长。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Differences will help to reveal the functions of the genes. 它们间的差异将会帮助我们揭开基因多种功能。 来自英汉非文学 - 生命科学 - 生物技术的世纪

7 genetic   

adj.遗传的，遗传学的

参考例句：

• It's very difficult to treat genetic diseases.遗传性疾病治疗起来很困难。
• Each daughter cell can receive a full complement of the genetic information.每个子细胞可以收到遗传信息的一个完全补偿物。

8 mutation   

n.变化，变异，转变

参考例句：

• People who have this mutation need less sleep than others.有这种突变的人需要的睡眠比其他人少。
• So far the discussion has centered entirely around mutation in the strict sense.到目前为止，严格来讲，讨论完全集中于围绕突变问题上。