VOA慢速英语 SCIENCE IN THE NEWS - Osteoporosis Increases Danger

VOICE ONE:

This is SCIENCE IN THE NEWS, in VOA Special English. I'm Barbara Klein.

VOICE TWO:

And I'm Bob Doughty¹. Today we tell about osteoporosis, a disease that can make bones weak so they break easily.

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VOICE ONE:
　
An x-ray of a bone fracture

Osteoporosis is a silent disease until it develops. If you do not know you have it, it can hurt you.

A fifty-five year-old American woman named Jill went skiing several years ago. Although she was a good skier², she fell on a difficult hill. She attempted to get up, but could not move one leg. She was taken to a hospital, where doctors found she had broken a bone in her upper leg. And there was another discovery in the hospital. She had osteoporosis.

Today, Jill still goes skiing. But now she takes medicine to protect against osteoporosis.

VOICE TWO:

Like Jill, many people do not know they have osteoporosis unless they break a bone. Or, they may find that they are getting shorter.

Osteoporosis can make it hard for a person to stand up straight if the disease is untreated for a long time. When it has progressed very far, walking can be difficult. Severe osteoporosis in older adults can take away their independence.

The National Osteoporosis Foundation works to inform Americans about bone health. The group says breaks caused by weakened bones can lead to pain, disability and even death

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VOICE ONE:

The word osteoporosis means porous³ bones, or bones that are not solid enough. The disease harms bones by removing calcium⁴ and other important minerals from tissue. Bones are living tissue. Tissues continually break down and then they replace themselves. But as people get older, more bone breaks down than gets replaced. The result is that small spaces inside the bone get larger. And the shell of the bones gets thinner.

The National Osteoporosis Foundation, or NOF, says eight of every ten osteoporosis patients are women. It says the condition is most common in Caucasian women over age fifty. Last year, the group suggested that doctors expand their list of persons to watch for osteoporosis. The additions included Latina, African American, Asian and other women. The NOF also called attention to the fact that men can also suffer from osteoporosis.

VOICE TWO:

Before people develop osteoporosis, they have a condition called osteopenia. Treatment can prevent this condition from becoming osteoporosis. Doctors agree that the best way to deal with osteopenia or osteoporosis is to find and treat it before the disease progresses. Bone damage need not be permanent. Drugs can help replace lost bone.

Identification of osteoporosis and osteopenia is made by measuring the mineral density⁵ of a person's bones. In this case, density means the strength of the bones.

VOICE ONE:

The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons says there are a number of ways bone mineral density can be measured. The group suggests bone mineral density examinations for women sixty years and older. Doctors use the tests to examine the hip⁶ and spine⁷, or backbone⁸.

The NOF says a test called Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry, or DXA, is the best test for osteoporosis. DXA uses radiation from x-rays. The patient does not get much radiation from the process, which lasts only a few minutes.

VOICE TWO:

Another way to measure bone-density is called peripheral⁹ bone mineral density testing. It is often used in the United States to show people if they are in danger of osteoporosis. A moveable machine does the test.

Medical testing companies sometimes perform this examination at an office or other place of business. The test costs less than the DXA. But peripheral testing measures only one part of the body. Usually that place is the wrist, the heel, or the bones between finger joints¹⁰.

If the testing device is in good condition, it probably will give satisfactory results. But what if the patient has normal bones in the tested areas, but not in others? A person could appear normal on the test. But she still might have osteoporosis in her backbone or hips¹¹.

VOICE ONE:

Differences in bone mineral density among body parts are most often found in women who recently ended their childbearing years. The density may be normal at one place but low at another. Bone mineral density in the spine decreases first. A woman's bone mineral density becomes about the same in all parts of her body after she is seventy years old.

The lower-cost test may not give complete answers. But it can warn that osteoporosis threatens or has started.

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VOICE TWO:

The National Osteoporosis Foundation has advised several steps toward the goal of healthy bones. Its experts say get enough calcium and vitamin D. The experts say do not smoke or drink too much alcohol. Talk to your healthcare provider about bone health and a possible bone mineral density test.

The NOF's guide for healthcare providers says people over fifty should get one thousand two hundred milligrams of calcium every day. The guide also says this age group should get eight hundred to one thousand International Units of Vitamin D. It says Vitamin D-Two and Vitamin D-Three are both good for bones.

VOICE ONE:

Milk and milk products contain calcium. So do fish with soft bones, like salmon¹², and dark green leafy vegetables. Some orange juice, bread and cereals may have calcium added.

Some people also take pills containing calcium. But be careful about how much calcium you take. You should not have more than two thousand five hundred milligrams a day. That total includes calcium from food and all other sources. Too much calcium can cause problems like kidney stones.

VOICE TWO:

Vitamin D absorbs, or takes up, calcium. Fish, cereal and milk are good sources of Vitamin D. If you spend at least fifteen minutes a day in the sun without a product to block the sun's radiation, you probably get enough Vitamin D.

Several kinds of drugs treat osteoporosis. America's Mayo Clinic medical centers say bisphosphonates are the most popular. Fosamax, Actonel and Boniva are products of this family of drugs. The Mayo Clinic advises that these drugs are very effective and appear safe for most people if taken as directed. Fosamax has been sold for at least ten years. Other drugs proven effective for osteoporosis are hormones¹⁴ and parathyroid hormone¹³.

VOICE ONE:
　
Doctors say physical exercise can help keep bones strong.

Doctors who treat osteoporosis patients say physical exercise can help the bones. For active people, lifting weights or playing tennis, slow running and dancing can be helpful.

Some older adults worry about exercising. They believe they could hurt themselves. The Mayo Clinic says that could be true if they have not exercised in the past. It says people who have not been active in the past need a doctor's advice before starting.

VOICE TWO:

Some people who are afraid of exercise worry about its effects on their joints, especially the knees. They are afraid exercise might cause osteoarthritis, a condition in which connective tissue around the bones wears down. A study in The Netherlands found that could be true. Results of the study were reported recently in the publication "Arthritis¹⁵ Care and Research."

Researchers studied one thousand six hundred seventy eight people over a period of twelve years. The subjects were between fifty-five and eighty-five years old. The results linked knee osteoarthritis to high mechanical strain -- activities that are hard on joints.

VOICE ONE:

But another study found that regular exercise does not harm joints. Those findings were reported in "The Journal of Anatomy¹⁶." Scientists from Germany and the United States considered earlier research on the effect of exercise on joints. They did not find a link between regular exercise and knee osteoarthritis.

If you are still worried about exercise for osteoporosis, why not go for a walk? But you have to do it correctly. The Mayo Clinic says hold your head high. Straighten your back and neck as much as possible. Tighten¹⁷ the chest muscles. As you move along, let your shoulders and arms move freely and naturally.

Walking places the full weight of your body on your bones. It also has other good effects. It raises the levels of chemicals in the brain known as endorphins. They reduce pain and make you feel happier.

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VOICE TWO:

This SCIENCE IN THE NEWS program was written by Jerilyn Watson. Our producer was Brianna Blake. I'm Bob Doughty.

VOICE ONE:

And I'm Barbara Klein. Join us again next week for more news about science in Special English on the Voice of America.

1 doughty   

adj.勇猛的，坚强的

参考例句：

• Most of successful men have the characteristics of contumacy and doughty.绝大多数成功人士都有共同的特质：脾气倔强，性格刚强。
• The doughty old man battled his illness with fierce determination.坚强的老人用巨大毅力与疾病作斗争。

2 skier   

n.滑雪运动员

参考例句：

• She is a skier who is unafraid of danger.她是一名敢于冒险的滑雪者。
• The skier skimmed across the snow.滑雪者飞快地滑过雪地。

3 porous   

adj.可渗透的，多孔的

参考例句：

• He added sand to the soil to make it more porous.他往土里掺沙子以提高渗水性能。
• The shell has to be slightly porous to enable oxygen to pass in.外壳不得不有些细小的孔以便能使氧气通过。

4 calcium   

n.钙(化学符号Ca)

参考例句：

• We need calcium to make bones.我们需要钙来壮骨。
• Calcium is found most abundantly in milk.奶含钙最丰富。

5 density   

n.密集，密度，浓度

参考例句：

• The population density of that country is 685 per square mile.那个国家的人口密度为每平方英里685人。
• The region has a very high population density.该地区的人口密度很高。

6 hip   

n.臀部，髋；屋脊

参考例句：

• The thigh bone is connected to the hip bone.股骨连着髋骨。
• The new coats blouse gracefully above the hip line.新外套在臀围线上优美地打着褶皱。

7 spine   

n.脊柱，脊椎；(动植物的)刺；书脊

参考例句：

• He broke his spine in a fall from a horse.他从马上跌下摔断了脊梁骨。
• His spine developed a slight curve.他的脊柱有点弯曲。

8 backbone   

n.脊骨，脊柱，骨干；刚毅，骨气

参考例句：

• The Chinese people have backbone.中国人民有骨气。
• The backbone is an articulate structure.脊椎骨是一种关节相连的结构。

9 peripheral   

adj.周边的，外围的

参考例句：

• We dealt with the peripheral aspects of a cost reduction program.我们谈到了降低成本计划的一些外围问题。
• The hotel provides the clerk the service and the peripheral traveling consultation.旅舍提供票务服务和周边旅游咨询。

10 joints   

接头( joint的名词复数 )； 关节； 公共场所（尤指价格低廉的饮食和娱乐场所） （非正式）； 一块烤肉 （英式英语）

参考例句：

• Expansion joints of various kinds are fitted on gas mains. 各种各样的伸缩接头被安装在煤气的总管道上了。
• Expansion joints of various kinds are fitted on steam pipes. 各种各样的伸缩接头被安装在蒸气管道上了。

11 hips   

abbr.high impact polystyrene 高冲击强度聚苯乙烯，耐冲性聚苯乙烯n.臀部( hip的名词复数 )；[建筑学]屋脊；臀围（尺寸）；臀部…的

参考例句：

• She stood with her hands on her hips. 她双手叉腰站着。
• They wiggled their hips to the sound of pop music. 他们随着流行音乐的声音摇晃着臀部。 来自《简明英汉词典》

12 salmon   

n.鲑，大马哈鱼，橙红色的

参考例句：

• We saw a salmon jumping in the waterfall there.我们看见一条大马哈鱼在那边瀑布中跳跃。
• Do you have any fresh salmon in at the moment?现在有新鲜大马哈鱼卖吗？

13 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。

14 hormones   

n. 荷尔蒙，激素 名词hormone的复数形式

参考例句：

• 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。
• The adrenals produce a large per cent of a man's sex hormones. 肾上腺分泌人体的大部分性激素。

15 arthritis   

n.关节炎

参考例句：

• Rheumatoid arthritis has also been linked with the virus.风湿性关节炎也与这种病毒有关。
• He spent three months in the hospital with acute rheumatic arthritis.他患急性风湿性关节炎，在医院住了三个月。

16 anatomy   

n.解剖学，解剖；功能，结构，组织

参考例句：

• He found out a great deal about the anatomy of animals.在动物解剖学方面，他有过许多发现。
• The hurricane's anatomy was powerful and complex.对飓风的剖析是一项庞大而复杂的工作。

17 tighten   

v.(使)变紧；(使)绷紧

参考例句：

• Turn the screw to the right to tighten it.向右转动螺钉把它拧紧。
• Some countries tighten monetary policy to avoid inflation.一些国家实行紧缩银根的货币政策，以避免通货膨胀。