VOA:A Lifetime of Exercise Slows Aging Process

A Lifetime of Exercise Slows Aging Process

From VOA learning English,this is the Health&Lifestyle report.

这里是美国之音——健康&生活方式节目.

If you have been meaning to add more exercise to your daily routine,you may want to start sooner rather than later.

如果你已经打算每天增加点锻炼,或许你应该尽早开始.

A 2018 study has found a lifetime of regular exercise and activity can slow down the aging process.

2018年的一项研究发现,在人的一生中,定期锻炼和参加活动可以减缓衰老过程.

Researchers at Britain’s University of Birmingham and King’s Collage London say that getting older should not necessarily mean becoming more weak or sick. Their research shows that a commitment to a life of movement and exercise my help us live ont only longer,but also healthier.

英国伯明翰大学和伦敦国王学院的研究人员说,年龄的增长不一定意味着变得更加虚弱.他们的研究表明,坚持运动和锻炼可以使我们的寿命加长,而且身体会更健康.

For their study,the researchers looked at two groups.

关于他们的研究,研究人员观察了两个小组.

The first group was made up of 125 non-professional cyclists between the ages of 55 to 79. This group included 84 healthy men and 41 healthy women. We will call this group the “cyclists”.

第一组由125名年龄在55至79岁之间的非职业自行车手组成.该组包括84名健康男性和41名女性.我们将这个组称为: “自行车运动组.”

Researchers then found 130 people to make up a second group. Within this group,75 people were aged 57 to 80. The other 55 were between the ages of 20 and 36. The people in this group were also healthy,but they did not exercise regularly. We will call this group the “non-exercisers”.

研究人员随后找了130人组成第二组.在这一组中,有75人年龄在57岁至80岁之间.其他55人年龄在20岁至36岁之间.这一群体的人也很健康,但他们没有定期锻炼.我们将这个小组称为: “非运动组”.

Smokers,heavy drinkers of alcohol and people with other health issues were not included in the study.

吸烟者,酗酒者以及有其他健康问题的人士未参与此次研究.

Then,researchers gave both groups a series of tests. They testd their muscle mass,muscular strength,percentage of body fat,cholesterol levels and the strength of their immune system. And male participants had their testosterone levels checked.

然后,研究人员对这两组进行了一系列的测试.他们测试他们的肌肉质量,肌肉力量,身体脂肪的百分比,胆固醇水平和他们的免疫系统的强度.还检查了男性参与者的睾酮水平.

The the researchers compared the result of the two groups.

然后研究人员比较了两组的结果.

Result showed that the cyclists did not experience body changes usually equated with a normal aging process. For example,they did not lose muscle mass or strength. Also,their body fat and cholesterol levels did not increase with age.

结果表明,骑自行车的人没有经历身体变化,通常等同于正常的老化过程.例如: 他们的肌肉质量或力量没有减少.此外,他们的身体脂肪和胆固醇指标并没有随着年龄增加而上升.

The male cyclists’ testosterone levels had also remained high. Researchers say this may mean that they avoided at least one major symptom of male menopause.

男性骑行者的睾酮水平也一直很高.研究人员说: 这可能意味着他们至少避免了男性更年期的一个主要症状.

The reseachers also found something they had not expected. The study showed that the immune systems of the cyclists did not seem to age either. For this,they looked at an organ called the thymus. The thymus makes immune cells called T-cells.

研究人员还发现他们没有预料的事情.该研究表明,骑自行车的免疫系统似乎也没有老化.为此,他们观察了一个称为胸腺的器官.胸腺制造的免疫细胞称为T细胞.

The University of Arizona’s biology department explains on its website that T-cells are a type of white blood cell and are made in our bone marrow.

亚利桑那大学生物系在其网站上解释说,T细胞是一种白血球,在我们的骨髓中生成.

As the article says: “There are two types of T-cells in your body: Helper T-cells and Killer T-cells. Killer T-cells do the work of destorying the infected cells. The Helper T-cells coordinate the attack.”

正如文章所说: “你体内有两种类型的T细胞: 辅助型T细胞和杀伤型T细胞. 杀伤型T细胞的工作是消灭感染的细胞.辅助型T细胞协调攻击.”

Starting at about the age of 20,the thymus of most people starts to get smaller. It also starts to make fewer T-cells.

从大约20岁开始,大多数人的胸腺开始变小.所产生的T细胞也开始相应的减少.

Howerver,in this study,the T-cell production by the thymuses of the cyclists had not slowed down with age. They were making as many T-cells as those of a young person.

然而,在这项研究中,骑自行车者的胸腺产生的T细胞没有随着年龄增加而减慢.他们正在制造与年轻人一样多的T细胞.

Janet Lord is director of the Institute of Inflammation and Ageing at the University of Birmingham. In a press statement,she offers the words of Hippocrates,often called the “father of medicine.”

珍妮特爵士是伯明翰大学炎症和老化研究所所长.在新闻发布会上,她引用了通常被称为”医学之父”的希波克拉底的话.

She write: “Hippocrates in 400 BC said that exercise is man’s best medicine,but his message has been lost over time and we are an increasingly sedentary society.”

她写到: “公元前400年希波克拉底说: 运动是人类最好的药物,但随着时间的流逝,他的话渐渐被大家所遗忘,我们正处在一个日益就久坐的社会.”

Professor Stephen Harridge is director of the Center of Human & Aerospace Physiological
Sciences at King’s College London. He addressed the common question of what came first——the chicken or the egg? In this case,the question became,”Which camej first——the healthy behavior or the good health?”

斯蒂芬哈里教授是伦敦国王学院人体与航天生理学中心主任.他解释了一个老生常谈的问题——先有鸡还是先有蛋?在这种情况下,这个问题变成了: “有着健康行为,会有一个健康的身体.还是有了健康的身体才会进行健康的行为.”

When talking about the findings of the study,he said “the cyclists do not exercise because they are healthy,but that they are healthy because they have been exercising for such a large portion of their lives.”