VOA标准英语2011--Underweight Asians Face Higher Risk of D

A new study of more than 1.1 million people in six Asian countries finds that, like Westerners, Asians are more likely to die if they are overweight or obese¹. However, some of the highest death rates were seen in people who were severely² underweight.
Many previous studies have found that the risk of death increases as body-mass index increases. Body-mass index, or BMI, is a measure of body fat based on height and weight. The trouble is, those studies mostly analyzed³ Europeans and other Westerners. So scientists couldn't be sure if the results applied⁴ to other groups.
To find out, Wei Zheng of Vanderbilt University and his colleagues collected data from China, Taiwan, South Korea, Japan, Bangladesh, and India. Adding up all the numbers, they concluded that the relationship between BMI and death rate in these Asian populations is generally consistent⁵ with studies of Westerners.
"Those people with lowest mortality in East Asian countries are those with normal weight," Zheng said. "And then with the reduced BMI and also increased BMI, they have increased risk of death."
That part about those with "reduced BMI" is important because proportionately, more people in Asia are at the lower end of the BMI scale.
"For example, those with BMI less than 15, so this study shows really those with very low BMI have very high risk of death. This is a clear message for those people, [they] need to gain weight."
The study also highlighted a surprising difference between East Asians and South Asians. Among the Indians and Bangladeshis, a higher BMI - in the overweight and obese range - did not translate into a notably⁶ higher death rate. Zheng says it might be that their weight reflected prosperity and a higher position in their community.
"They had relatively⁷ high socioeconomic status, so they had better access to health care," he suggested.

1 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。

2 severely   

adv.严格地；严厉地；非常恶劣地

参考例句：

• He was severely criticized and removed from his post.他受到了严厉的批评并且被撤了职。
• He is severely put down for his careless work.他因工作上的粗心大意而受到了严厉的批评。

3 analyzed   

v.分析( analyze的过去式和过去分词 )；分解；解释；对…进行心理分析

参考例句：

• The doctors analyzed the blood sample for anemia. 医生们分析了贫血的血样。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The young man did not analyze the process of his captivation and enrapturement, for love to him was a mystery and could not be analyzed. 这年轻人没有分析自己蛊惑著迷的过程，因为对他来说，爱是个不可分析的迷。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 applied   

adj.应用的；v.应用，适用

参考例句：

• She plans to take a course in applied linguistics.她打算学习应用语言学课程。
• This cream is best applied to the face at night.这种乳霜最好晚上擦脸用。

5 consistent   

adj.坚持的，一贯的，一致的，符合的

参考例句：

• He has been a consistent friend to the Chinese people.他是中国人民始终如一的朋友。
• His action is always consistent with his words.他始终言行一致。

6 notably   

adv.值得注意地，显著地，尤其地，特别地

参考例句：

• Many students were absent,notably the monitor.许多学生缺席，特别是连班长也没来。
• A notably short,silver-haired man,he plays basketball with his staff several times a week.他个子明显较为矮小，一头银发，每周都会和他的员工一起打几次篮球。

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。