VOA慢速英语: 研究表明经常锻炼可以改变我们的DNA

Study: Regular Exercise Can Change Our DNA

研究表明：经常锻炼可以改变我们的DNA

FILE - A bicyclist pedals along main street in Richford, Vermont. (AP Photo/Toby Talbot)

Swedish scientists say they have proven that physical exercise changes not only our health but also our genetic material.

瑞典科学家表示：进行体育锻炼不仅能够改善健康状况，而且还会改变基因。

Scientists have long known that some diets or exposure to chemicals can change the way genes send and receive chemical signals in the body. But nothing was known about the influence of physical exercise.

一直以来，科学家清楚知道一些饮食习惯、接触一些化学物质会导致体内基因的变化。但是几乎没有人知道体育锻炼也会改变基因。

The Swedish study shows that exercise can have an effect on our deoxyribonucleic acid or DNA. DNA is often called the "building blocks of life.” DNA is the material that carries genetic information in cells.

瑞典的研究表明体育运动会影响我们的DNA。DNA是生命机能运作的基本成分。DNA 是细胞中携带遗传信息的分子。

The study was a project of scientists at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm. They asked 23 young, healthy women and men to exercise on stationary bicycles with only one leg, several times a week for three months. The scientists then compared DNA taken from muscle cells in both legs. They found DNA had changed greatly in the leg that got more exercise. Many of the genes that changed were linked to energy, insulin and muscle inflammation or pain.

这项研究是斯德哥尔摩卡罗林斯卡学院的科学家的研究项目。他们要求23名年轻、健康的女性和男性在健身脚踏车上只用一条腿锻炼，一周进行多次锻炼，持续三个月。然后科学家从两条腿肌肉细胞中中抽取DNA比较。他们发现多运动的那条腿的基因发生很大的变化。很多基因的变化都与能量、胰岛素和肌肉的炎症和疼痛有关。

Scientists say this shows that regular exercise affects our genes and can lead to better health. They say future studies would examine how long the changes last if someone stops exercising.

科学家称这一研究表明经常锻炼确实会影响我们的基因，会让人更健康。他们表示未来的研究会检验一下如果停止锻炼后，基因改变时间会持续多久。

I’m Christopher Cruise.

我是克里斯托弗·格鲁斯。

This story was reported by VOA Science Correspondent George Putic.Christopher Cruise wrote it for VOA Learning English. George Grow was the editor.

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Words in this Story

DNA/deoxyribonucleic acid – n. a substance that carries genetic information in the cells of plants and animals

exposure – n. the fact or condition of being affected by something or experiencing something; the condition of being exposed to something

insulin – n. a substance that your body makes and uses to turn sugar into energy

Are you surprised that the human body’s DNA can be changed by exercise? Do you exercise? If you do, do you notice any changes in your body from the exercises? We want to hear from you. Write your thoughts in the comments section.