药学英语课文3翻译

Foods That Fight Cancer

抗癌症的食物

Foods That Fight Cancer

Diet is now considered a major weapon(武器) against cancer. The National Cancer Institute （协会）estimates that about one-third of all cancers are linked to diet, and recent research indicated（指出）that what you eat may help to significantly reduce your risk.

Cancer develops over a long time, which means that you have years-typically decades（数十年）-in which to hinder（阻碍）or promote it. Researchers are finding that what you eat may interfere（妨碍）with cancer growth at various stages. For example, certain foods can block (v.阻碍) the chemicals that initiate（开始）cancer. Antioxidants（抗氧化剂）, found in some vitamins and minerals（矿物）, can snuff（消灭）out oxygen free radicals（基础；原子团）, substances that are thought to make cells more susceptible（易受影响的）to cancer, and they can even repair some of the cellular damage that has been done. And some food-wheat bran in particular-has been shown to shrink（收缩）precancerous（癌症前期的）cells.

A recent review（评论）of 17 studies from 17 nations reveals that people who eat the most fruits and vegetables have about half the cancer rates of those who eat the least. That includes cancers of the lung, colon（结肠）, breast, cervix（宫颈）, esophagus（食道）, oral cavity（口腔）, stomach, bladder（膀胱）, pancreas（胰腺）and ovary（卵巢）. In fact, some research suggests that frequent consumption（肺痨;消耗）of fruits and vegetables can cut the risk of lung cancer even in smokers. “It is almost mind-boggling（难以理解的）,” says Tim Byers, an epidemiologist （流行病学家）with the U. S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “that ordinary fruits and vegetables can be so effective against such a potent（有效的）carcinogen（致癌物质）as cigarette smoke.”

One of the most studied antioxidants in vegetables and fruits thought to protect against cancer is beta-carotene（B-胡萝卜素）, concentrated（聚集）in deep green, yellow and orange vegetables such as carrots, sweet potatoes and spinach（菠菜）. Fruits high in beta-carotene include apricots （杏）and cantaloupes（哈密瓜）. In test-tube（试管）studies at Harvard University, beta-carotene had a direct toxic effect on cells taken from malignant（有害的）tumors（肿瘤）. It also reduced the growth of lung-cancer cells and altered（改变）the proteins needed for tumors to grow.

Research also shows that beta-carotene can change in the body to retinoid acid（视黄酸）, a substance used in clinical trials to treat certain cancers.

Here are some of the foods that contain cancer-fighting chemicals.

Tomatoes. One of the compounds in tomatoes that is thought to reduce the risk of cancer is lycopene（番茄红素）, the pigment（色素）that makes tomatoes red. Lycopene, an antioxidant that is also found in watermelons and apricots, quenches（结束）certain cancer- triggering oxygen free radicals.

Having little lycopene in your blood is associated with a higher risk of pancreatic cancer, according in a Johns Hopkins University study. People with pancreatic cancer showed lower levels of lycopene compared with healthy individuals. Those with the least blood lycopene had over five times the risk of pancreatic cancer as healthy people with the most blood lycopene.

Lycopene is present in tomato products, including sauces（酱油）, tomato paste and even ketchup（番茄酱）.

Green Vegetables. A recent Italian study showed that dark-green leafy vegetables lower the risk of many cancers. Spinach, broccoli（西兰花）, kale（甘兰）and dark-green lettuces（油麦菜）are chock-full of antioxidants, including beta-carotene, folate and lutein，. A good rule of