大学英语四六级晨读经典365秋日激情篇

　　222 Vitamin

　　222 维生素

　　For years, doctors advised their patients that the only thing taking multivitamins does is give them extensive urine. After all, true vitamin deficiencies are practically unheard of in industrialized countries. Now it seems those doctors may have been wrong. The results of a growing number of studies suggest that even a modest vitamin shortfall can be harmful to your health. Although proof of the benefits of multivitamins is still far from certain, the few dollars you spend on them is probably a good investment.

　　多年来，医生提醒病人说，服用多种维生素唯一能给他们带来的是昂贵的尿。毕竟，在工业国家，真正意义上的维生素缺乏实际上从未听说过，不过现在那些医生可能是错的。大量研究结果显示，即使很微量的维生素短缺也会对你健康带来损害。尽管多种维生素能带来益处的证据还远远不够确定，但花上几美金购买它们可能是一个不错的投资。

　　Or at least thats the argument put forward in the New England Journal of Medicine. Ideally, say Dr. Walter Willett and Dr. Meir Stampfer of Harvard, all vitamin supplements would be evaluated in scientifically rigorous clinical trials.

　　But those studies can take a long time and often raise more questions than they answer. At some point, while researchers work on figuring out where the truth lies, it just makes sense to say the potential benefit outweighs the cost.

　　或者这仅仅只是《新英格兰医药杂志》提出的建议。哈佛大学的Walter Willett和Meir Stampfer指出，理想状况下，所有的维生素补充剂都要经过严格科学的临床实验评估。但这些研究的耗时很长，而且它们带来的问题比它们解决的要多。有时候，当研究者在努力找出真相时，其意义仅在于潜在的利益要超过其成本。

　　The best evidence to date concerns folate, one of the B vitamins. Its been proved to limit the number of defects in embryos, and a recent trial found that folate in combination with vitamin B12 and a form of B12 also decreases the re-blockage of arteries after surgical repair.

　　一个很好的例子是叶酸，它是维生素B的一种。它被证明能限制胎盘缺陷的数量，而且最近的试验发现叶酸和维生素B12及一种形式的B6联合使用时能降低外科手术后动脉的再次阻塞。

　　The news on vitamin E has been more mixed. Healthy folks who take 400 international units daily for at least two years appear somewhat less likely to develop heart disease. But when doctors give vitamin E to patients who already have he art disease, the vitamin doesnt seem to help. It may turn out that vitamin Eplays a role in prevention but cannot undo serious damage.

　　关于维生素E的资讯则复杂的多。每天服用400国际单位维生素E至少两年的健康人群，看上去得心脏病的可能性要比常人小。但是医生给已经患心脏病的病人服用维生素E时，却似乎没有任何帮助。这表明维生素E在预防中能起到作用，但无法治疗严重的损伤。

　　Despite vitamin Cs great popularity, consuming large amounts of it still has not been positively linked to any great benefit. The body quickly becomes saturated with C and simply excretes any excess.

　　尽管服用维生素C相当普遍，但始终不能肯定大量服用维生素C是否一定会有巨大的益处。因为体内的维生素C迅速饱和后就会简单地排出多余的维生素C。

　　The multivitamins question boils down to this: Do you need to wait until all the evidence is in before you take them, or are you willing to accept that theres enough evidence that they dont hurt and could help?

　　现在多种维生素的问题可以归结为：你需要等到所有的证据出现时才开始服用它们，还是你愿意接受现有足以证明它们没有伤害而且可能有好处的证据?

　　If the latter, theres no need to go to extremes and buy the biggest horse pills or the most expensive bottles. Large doses can cause trouble, including excessive bleeding and nervous system problems.

　　如果是后者，那没有必要走极端，买最大剂型的药片或者最贵的药。大量剂会带来麻烦，包括出血和神经系统疾病。

　　Multivitamins are no substitute for exercise and a balanced diet, of course. As long as you understand that any potential benefit is modest and subject to further refinement, taking a daily multivitamin makes a lot of sense.

　　当然多种维生素不是运动和平衡饮食的替代品。只要你明白任何可能的益处是轻微的而且需要更进一步的改进，那每天服用多种维生素就会带来很多好处。