燕山大学 刘立军 编写

u TRANSCRIPT

A new report links eating eggs to an increased risk of heart disease. The results follow several earlier studies that found eating eggs was generally healthy.

The JAMA Network Open published the new report in March. It combines data from six other earlier studies. It shows a 6 percent increased risk of heart disease when the average number of eggs a person ate each day increased by half an egg.

Norrina Allen, who co-wrote the report, is an associate professor of preventative medicine at Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago.

She told the Reuters news service that, in the United States, eggs are generally one of the top sources of cholesterol in a person's diet. Individuals with higher levels of cholesterol in their diet are at increased risk for the development of heart disease later in life, she said.

However, Allen added that she would not say that eggs are completely unhealthy.

"I'm not advocating people take them completely out of their diets," she said. "I'm just suggesting that people eat them in moderation."

Allen's team examined data gathered from six studies that involved a total of 29,615 people.

Earlier researchers had followed these people for an average of 17.5 years. At the start, the people answered questions about the foods they ate. But they were not asked about their diets at any time after that.

Over time, there were 5,400 cardiovascular-related incidents among the group. This included 2,088 deadly and non-deadly heart disease events and 1,302 deadly and non-deadly stroke events. It also included 1,897 deadly and non-deadly heart failure events and 113 other deaths from cardiovascular disease.

After examining the data, Allen's team found a link between egg consumption as reported at the start of the study and people's risk of developing heart disease. As their egg consumption rose, so did their risk.

Some experts believe the new study does not prove that eggs were causing heart disease.

Cholesterol's role in the development of heart disease has been discussed for more than 30 years, said Dennis Bruemmer. He is a heart specialist with the Heart and Vascular Institute and an associate professor of medicine at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. Bruemmer noted that several past studies have tried to measure how much of the cholesterol in a person's overall diet comes from eggs. Each has produced different results.

"This study does have clear limitations, including self-reporting at a single time point," he added. "This limits its validity."

Eggs contain a lot of cholesterol - about 200 milligrams. That is the highest daily amount recommended under current guidelines.

Bruemmer said, "Eggs in moderation are probably acceptable from a nutritional standpoint." Moderation, he added, is "less than one egg a day on average, including eggs in foods such as bread."

Holly Andersen agrees that the study has "real limitations." She is a heart specialist and director of education at the Ronald O. Perelman Heart Institute at the New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center.

One issue Andersen has with the study is that a lot of the egg-eating people in the study also appeared to be eating large amounts of meats and processed meats.

"If you're consuming a huge amount of processed meats, it doesn't matter how many eggs you're eating," Andersen said.

Also, Andersen said, the study is observational, meaning it can only show there is a link between egg consumption and heart disease. But it cannot prove eggs are the cause of the disease. It may just be that people eating a lot of eggs are also consuming a lot of bacon, Andersen said.

I'm Pete Musto.

Adapted from http://www.kekenet.com/broadcast/201904/582566.shtml

u VOCABULARY

1. combine v. combine (sth.) (with sth.) | combine A and B (together) to come together to form a single thing or group; to join two or more things or groups together to form a single one （使）结合，组合，联合，混合。用法：

例如：

l Hydrogen and oxygen combine to form water. 氢与氧化合成水。

l Hydrogen combines with oxygen to form water. 氢与氧化合成水。

l Several factors had combined to ruin our plans. 几种因素加在一起毁了我们的计划。

例如：

l Combine all the ingredients in a bowl. 把所有的配料放在碗里拌匀。

l Combine the eggs with a little flour. 把鸡蛋和少量的面粉搅匀。

l The German team scored a combined total of 652 points. 德国队综合得分为652分。

2. cardiovascular adj. (medical 医) connected with the heart and the blood vessels (= the tubes that carry blood around the body) 心血管的

3. stroke n. a sudden serious illness when a blood vessel (= tube) in the brain bursts or is blocked, which can cause death or the loss of the ability to move or to speak clearly 中风。例如：

l to have/suffer a stroke患中风

l The stroke left him partly paralysed. 他因中风身体局部瘫痪了。

4. validity n. the state of being logical and true 符合逻辑；正当；正确。例如：We had doubts about the validity of their argument. 我们对他们的论点的正确性有过怀疑。

5. processed meats: 加工肉

u QUESTIONS

Listen to the news and choose the best answer to each question you hear.

What does the new report show?

 It shows a 4 percent increased risk of heart disease when the average number of eggs a person ate each day increased by half an egg.

 It shows a 5 percent increased risk of heart disease when the average number of eggs a person ate each day increased by half an egg.

 It shows a 6 percent increased risk of heart disease when the average number of eggs a person ate each day increased by half an egg.  

 It shows a 7 percent increased risk of heart disease when the average number of eggs a person ate each day increased by half an egg.

According to Bruemmer, "Eggs in moderation are probably acceptable from a nutritional standpoint." What does “Moderation” mean here?

 It is "more than one egg a day on average, excluding eggs in foods."

 It is "more than one egg a day on average, including eggs in foods."

 It is "less than one egg a day on average, excluding eggs in foods."

 It is "less than one egg a day on average, including eggs in foods."

u KEY

C。细节题。命题出处：The JAMA Network Open published the new report in March. It combines data from six other earlier studies. It shows a 6 percent increased risk of heart disease when the average number of eggs a person ate each day increased by half an egg.

D。细节题。命题出处：Bruemmer said, "Eggs in moderation are probably acceptable from a nutritional standpoint." Moderation, he added, is "less than one egg a day on average, including eggs in foods such as bread."