VOA标准英语2010-South Asians Face Higher Risk of Heart Di

New study looks at cardiovascular risk by ethnicity

Naomi Seck | Washington, DC 28 April 2010

Researchers studied the prevalence of heart disease and stroke in four ethnic¹ groups: whites, Chinese, South Asians and blacks all living in Ontario province, Canada.

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Cardiovascular disease kills some 17 million people each year, and about 80 percent of these deaths occur in the developing world. Not every country is affected² equally. But when scientists study populations in different countries, their results are influenced by a mix of culture, environment, and genetics.

A new study tries to sort out some of those factors.

A closer look at four ethnic groups

Researcher Maria Chiu and her colleagues studied the prevalence of heart disease and stroke in four ethnic groups: whites, Chinese, South Asians and blacks all living in Ontario province, Canada. They used data collected in national and community health surveys from 1996 to 2007.

Although all were living in the same place and had access to universal healthcare, Chiu found striking differences. Her analysis showed that more than one in 20 South Asians suffered from heart diseases, compared to around only one in 30 among the Chinese and black populations.

Chiu notes that those three ethnic and racial groups comprise 60 percent of the world population. "So it is important that we understand how these groups are, in terms of their heart health. And this study in Canada allows us to do that in a more controlled environment where everyone is living within the same physical environment as well as having access to universal healthcare."

Chiu also looked at the prevalence of eight risk factors for heart disease and stroke, including smoking, obesity⁴, high blood pressure and diabetes⁵. These also differed significantly from group to group. For instance, whites were three times more likely to smoke than Chinese and South Asians. And South Asians and blacks were twice as likely to suffer from diabetes as members of the other two groups.

"Our study did not look at the causes for these risk factors being high and low," Chiu explains. "It was important that we reported that they were high and low, and the next step would be to understanding why."

Implications for policy makers⁶

Chiu says her research raises important questions. And the answers will likely draw from a combination of factors, including genetic³ predisposition, cultural factors and socioeconomic status.

Chiu also said her research has important planning implications for policy makers. "For example, if we know from the study that diabetes is twice as prevalent among the blacks and the South Asian populations, and we know that the South Asian and the black populations are going to double or triple within the next 20 years, then our projections⁷ for our health care needs in the future, which currently are predominantly based on the white population, will be grossly underestimating our needs."

Maria Chiu's research is published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal.
 

1 ethnic   

adj.人种的，种族的，异教徒的

参考例句：

• This music would sound more ethnic if you played it in steel drums.如果你用钢鼓演奏，这首乐曲将更具民族特色。
• The plan is likely only to aggravate ethnic frictions.这一方案很有可能只会加剧种族冲突。

2 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

3 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。

4 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。

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 makers   

n.制造者，制造商（maker的复数形式）

参考例句：

• The makers of the product assured us that there had been no sacrifice of quality. 这一产品的制造商向我们保证说他们没有牺牲质量。
• The makers are about to launch out a new product. 制造商们马上要生产一种新产品。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 projections   

预测( projection的名词复数 )； 投影； 投掷； 突起物

参考例句：

• Their sales projections are a total thumbsuck. 他们的销售量预测纯属估计。
• The council has revised its projections of funding requirements upwards. 地方议会调高了对资金需求的预测。