外刊阅读:Sunlight exposure can affec
晒太阳好处很多,比如让人心情变好。最新的科学研究发现,多晒太阳还能使我们的肠道菌群变得更加多样化,有助于减少肠道疾病的发生。
Sunlight exposure can affect your gut bacteria
by Russell McLendon
People living at higher latitudes(纬度) may be safer from the dangers of too much sunlight, but they also face a greater risk of having too little vitamin D in their bodies, a deficiency that affects as many as 1 billion people around the world.
risk /rɪsk/ n. 风险
vitamin /ˈvɪtəmɪn/ n. 维生素
deficiency /dɪˈfɪʃ(ə)nsi/ n. 缺乏、不足
affect /əˈfekt/ v. 影响
billion /ˈbɪljən/ n. 十亿
A vitamin D deficiency alone can lead to a variety of health problems. Along with other environmental factors like diet and antibiotic use, it's also seen as one reason why many developed countries have such high rates of chronic inflammatory(发炎的) diseases, including multiple sclerosis(硬化症) and inflammatory bowel(肠道) disease (IBD).
lead to 导致、造成
along with 伴随
environmental /ɪnˌvaɪr(ə)nˈment(ə)l/ adj. 环境的(由environment加后缀-al变成形容词)
factor /ˈfæktə(r)/ n. 因素
antibiotic /ˌæntibaɪˈɒtɪk/ n. 抗生素、抗菌素
rate /reɪt/ n. 率、比率
chronic /ˈkrɒnɪk/ adj. 慢性的
multiple /ˈmʌltɪp(ə)l/ adj. 多个的、多重的
Research suggests our gut microbiomes(微生物群) – the bacteria and other tiny creatures living in our digestive tracts – might wield some influence over these conditions. And now, in a study published in the journal Frontiers in Microbiology, researchers reveal a potentially important way to boost our gut bacteria with sunlight.
suggest /səˈdʒest/ v. 表明
gut /ɡʌt/ n. 肠道
bacterium /bækˈtɪəriəm/ n. 细菌(bacteria /bækˈtɪəriə/ 是复数)
digestive /daɪˈdʒestɪv/ tract /trækt/ 消化道
wield /wiːld/ v. 具有(影响)
influence /ˈɪnfluəns/ n./v. 影响
condition /kənˈdɪʃ(ə)n/ n. 疾病
publish /ˈpʌblɪʃ/ v. 发表
journal /ˈdʒɜːn(ə)l/ n. 期刊
researcher /rɪˈsɜːtʃə(r)/ n. 研究者(由research加上表示人的后缀-er)
reveal /rɪˈviːl/ v. 揭示
potentially /pəˈtenʃ(ə)li/ adv. 潜在地、可能地(由potential加后缀-ly变成副词)
boost /buːst/ v. 提高、增加
There are two basic types of ultraviolet(紫外线的) light that reach Earth's surface, known as UVA and UVB. Both can be harmful, but UVB rays are the main rays responsible for sunburns and are thought to cause the most skin cancers, according to the American Cancer Society.
surface /ˈsɜːfɪs/ n. 表面
harmful /ˈhɑːmf(ə)l/ adj. 有害的(由harm加后缀-ful变成形容词)
ray /reɪ/ n. 光线、光束
responsible /rɪˈspɒnsəb(ə)l/ adj. 负有责任的
sunburn /ˈsʌnbɜːn/ n. 晒伤
cause /kɔːz/ v. 造成
At the same time, UVB rays from sunlight trigger our bodies to produce vitamin D. Low UVB exposure has been linked to the onset of inflammatory gut diseases, and since vitamin D can influence our gut bacteria, the researchers hoped to shed new light on the relationship among all three factors.
trigger /ˈtrɪɡə(r)/ v. 触发、引发
exposure /ɪkˈspəʊʒə(r)/ n. 接触
link /lɪŋk/ v. 连接
onset /ˈɒnset/ n. 开始
shed /ʃed/ light on something 帮助阐明某事
relationship /rɪˈleɪʃ(ə)nʃɪp/ n. 关系
Led by Else Bosman, a doctoral(博士的) candidate in experimental medicine at the University of British Columbia, the researchers recruited 12 healthy women to participate in the study. All of the volunteers had fair skin and lived in Canada during winter for the three previous months, and thus were exposed to relatively low levels of UVB light. Before the study began, the researchers tested their vitamin D levels and took stool samples, which revealed the makeup of their gut microbiome.
candidate /ˈkændɪdət/ n. 候选人(doctoral candidate指已完成博士阶段学习但还没拿到博士学位的人)
experimental /ɪkˌsperɪˈment(ə)l/ adj. 实验的(experiment加后缀-al变成形容词)
recruit /rɪˈkruːt/ v. 招募
participate /pɑːˈtɪsɪpeɪt/ v. 参加
volunteer /ˌvɒlənˈtɪə(r)/ n. 志愿者
fair /feə(r)/ adj. (肤色)白皙的
thus /ðʌs/ adv. 因此
expose /ɪkˈspəʊz/ v. 暴露
relatively /ˈrelətɪvli/ adv. 相对而言
level /ˈlev(ə)l/ n. 水平、数量
stool /stuːl/ n. 粪便
sample /ˈsɑːmp(ə)l/ n. 样本
makeup /ˈmeɪkʌp/ n. 组成、构成
Most Of the women had insufficient levels of vitamin D. The researchers gave the volunteers three sessions of UVB light exposure in a week, then tested their vitamin D and stool again. Not only did the women now have normal levels, but their gut microbiomes had also grown more diverse.
insufficient /ˌɪnsəˈfɪʃ(ə)nt/ adj. 不足的(由sufficient加上表示否定的前缀in-)
session /ˈseʃ(ə)n/ n. 一场(某种活动)
diverse /daɪˈvɜːs/ adj. 多样性的
"Healthy people tend to have more diverse microbiomes," Bosman says, adding that this discovery could be especially important for people with IBD, who often have difficulty absorbing nutrients(营养物质) through their digestive systems.
tend /tend/ v. 倾向于
discovery /dɪˈskʌv(ə)ri/ n. 发现
absorb /əbˈzɔːb/ v. 吸收
digestive /daɪˈdʒestɪv/ adj. 消化的
This study fills in some blanks and offers intriguing hints in our quest to understand the human microbiome, showing a shift in gut bacteria that was apparently driven mainly by the body's production of vitamin D.
intriguing /ɪnˈtriːɡɪŋ/ adj. 让人感兴趣的
hint /hɪnt/ n. 暗示、启示
quest /kwest/ n. 追求、求索
shift /ʃɪft/ n. 改变
apparently /əˈpær(ə)ntli/ adv. 看起来
drive /draɪv/ v. 推动、驱使
production /prəˈdʌkʃ(ə)n/ n. 生产
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