(单词翻译:单击)
听力文本
One Thing You Can Do Right Now to Help Your Heart
From VOA Learning English, this is the Health & Lifestyle report.
Many diseases and medical conditions are caused by things out of our control. Yet experts say you can control and even prevent many of the risk factors that increase your chances of dying.
Experts note that an unhealthy lifestyle can put you at great risk of heart disease and stroke. Poor diet, having too much body fat and a lack of physical exercise all increase your risk of heart disease — so can using tobacco products and drinking too much alcohol.
So doctors urge us to eat healthy foods, get exercise, stop smoking and limit our alcohol intake.
But there is something else you can do. And it is free and easy. Smile!
Anand Chockalingam is a heart disease specialist at University of Missouri Health Care in Columbia, Missouri. He advises his patients to smile.
"When we smile, the brain wiring gets altered. The chemicals that are released are more positive."
He says smiling is a first step in fighting physical and emotional stress and its sometimes harmful effects on human health. This is not just New Age advice. Several studies support Dr. Chockaligam's prescription to smile more.
When we talk about disorders of the heart and blood vessels, we are talking about cardiovascular diseases, such as coronary heart disease. And they are the number one cause of death around the world. That information comes from the World Health Organization.
The main cause of heart attacks and strokes are blockages in blood vessels. These prevent blood from flowing to the heart or the brain. The most common reason for these blockages is a build-up of fatty deposits on the inner walls of the arteries.
When you feel stressed or under pressure, your body releases many natural hormones including adrenaline and cortisol. Adrenaline increases your heart rate and blood pressure. Cortisol is the body's main stress hormone. It increases sugar in the bloodstream. If you are truly in danger, these hormones can help you. They are part of what we call our fight-or-flight response.
However, when stressed for a long period, these stress hormones are ever-present in our bodies. And that, medical researchers warn, may lead to health problems.
Researchers with the American Heart Association say the connection between stress and heart disease is still unclear. However, they claim that when people are stressed for long periods of time, they may not make the best decisions about what to eat. They may overeat, smoke or drink too much alcohol. They may not get enough exercise or sleep. And all of this can lead to health problems.
Dr. Chockalingam says a smile may be one way to help.
He tells his patients to smile 20 times an hour. To some, that might seem like a lot of smiling. Or some might even feel foolish ... smiling for seemingly no reason. But a smile does not involve drugs. It is not invasive like a surgical operation. It is free and it has no bad side effects.
"Once people smile, they are relaxing. This relaxation directly lowers blood pressure, improves sugar levels in the blood. If we are smiling, we are breaking that link between stress and health."
And it just may provide a little extra protection to everyone's heart health.
And that's the Health & Lifestyle report.
I'm Anna Matteo.
重点解析
重点讲解：
1. out of control 失去控制；不受控制；
My impression is that they are totally out of control.
我的感觉是它们完全失去了控制。
2. in danger 在危险中，有…的危险；
At one stage his very life was in danger.
他的生命都曾一度处于危险之中。
3. lead to 招致；致使；导致；
Eating too much sugar can lead to health problems.
食用过多的糖会引起健康问题。
4. no reason 无缘无故；莫名其妙；没有理由；
The guards, he said, would punch them for no reason.
他说警卫会无缘无故殴打他们。
参考译文
你现在就能做的有益于心脏健康的一件事
这里是VOA慢速英语健康生活报道。
许多疾病和健康问题是因为失去控制的事情而引发的。专家认为，人们可以控制甚至是阻止会增加死亡几率的大部分危险因素。
专家指出，不健康的生活方式可能令你面临严重的心脏病和中风风险。不良饮食、体脂过高、缺乏锻炼都会增加心脏病风险——吸烟和过度饮酒同样会导致风险增加。
因此，医生敦促我们食用健康食物、加强锻炼、戒烟并限制酒精摄入。
不过，还有一件你可以做的事情。这件事不仅免费而且很简单。那就是：微笑！
安纳德·切卡林格姆是位于密苏里州哥伦比亚的密苏里大学卫生保健学院的心脏病专家。他给患者的建议是：微笑。
“我们微笑时，大脑结构会发生改变。微笑时所释放的化学物质更为积极。”
他表示，身体和情绪压力有时会对人体健康产生有害影响，而微笑是对抗这些压力和有害影响的第一步。这并不仅仅是新时代的建议。多项研究均支持切卡林格姆所开的“多微笑”处方。
心脏和血管机能失调实际上指的是冠心病等心血管疾病。这些疾病是全球头号死因。这是世界卫生组织提供的信息。
造成心脏病和中风的主要原因是血管堵塞。这导致血液无法流向心脏或脑部。血管堵塞最常见的原因是脂肪在动脉内壁沉积。
在人们感到紧张或承受压力时，身体会释放出许多包括肾上腺素和皮质醇在内的天然激素。肾上腺素会导致心率加速和血压升高。皮质醇是人体主要的应激激素。该激素会增加血液中的糖分。如果人们处于真正的危险中，那这些激素会提供帮助。它们是“战斗或逃跑反应”的一部分。
然而，在长期受压的状态下，这些应激激素会一直在我们的体内。医学研究者警告称，这可能引发健康问题。
美国心脏协会的研究人员表示，压力和心脏病之间的联系仍不明朗。但是，研究人员认为，在人们长期处于受压状态时，他们可能无法在饮食方面做出最佳决定。他们可能会过度进食、吸烟或过量饮酒。他们可能缺乏锻炼或睡眠不足。这一切都可能引发健康问题。
切卡林格姆医生表示，微笑也许是一个可行的方法。
他让患者一小时微笑20次。一些人认为微笑次数有些多。其他人甚至会认为没有理由的微笑看起来有些傻。但微笑不用吃药。微笑也不用像外科手术那样开刀。微笑是免费的，而且没有副作用。
“人们微笑时就会放松下来。这种放松可以直接降低血压，改善血糖水平。微笑可以打破压力与健康之间的联系。”
这可能会为所有人的心脏健康提供一点儿额外的保护。
以上是健康生活报道。
我是安娜·马迪奥。
译文为可可英语翻译，未经授权请勿转载！
