【News Takeaway】你的「身體年齡」是幾歲?

What's Your 'Biological Age'?

你的「身體年齡」是幾歲?

來源：The New York Times
難度：3
閱讀時間： 4

By Dana G. Smith

科學家正努力量化人類在實際年齡之外的「生理年齡」。生理年齡透過觀察人的細胞狀況，用測量體內損傷累積值的方式定義出來，自然老化或是環境、行為等都會有所影響。有些專家指出，這種針對群體比較而得出的結論，無法提供更深度的個人健康資訊，目前可以確定的是，科學家對如何逆轉生理年齡還沒得出確切的結論。

If you've ever been to a high school reunion, you know that some people seem to age faster than others. Twenty-five years after graduation, one classmate can appear a decade younger than the rest, another a decade older. Scientists are working to quantify this phenomenon and put a number to a person's "biological age" by looking at their cellular health instead of how many years they've been alive.
如果你曾經參加過高中同學聚會，你就會知道有些人似乎比其他人老得更快一點。畢業25年後，一個同學有可能看起來比其他同學年輕10歲，另一個同學 則有可能看起來比其他同學老10歲。科學家們正在努力量化這一現象，並為一 個人的「生理年齡」設定一個數字，根據是觀察一個人的細胞健康狀況，而不是他們活了多少年。

Researchers define biological age as "the accumulation of damage we can measure in our body". That damage comes from natural aging, as well as from our environment and behaviors.
研究人員將生理年齡定義為「我們體內可測量損傷的累積值」。這種損傷既來自 自然衰老，也來自我們的環境和行為方式。

Several companies now sell tests for around $300 to calculate your biological age by analyzing your blood or saliva and comparing changes in your epigenome to population averages.
目前已有幾家公司以300美元左右的價格售賣生理年齡檢測產品。他們測量生 理年齡的方式是，分析你的血液或唾液，並將你的表觀基因組變化與人群平均 標準進行比較。

But experts caution that epigenetic clocks can't actually tell you much about your own health. That's because they were designed to assess large groups of people, not individuals. Consequently, their results can be unreliable.
但專家警告說，表觀遺傳時鐘（epigenetic clock＿實際上並不能揭示太多你的健康資訊。這是因為它們是被設計出來對人群進行整體評估的，而不是針對個體評估。因此，它們的結果可能並不可靠。

Another problem with the tests is that it's unclear what to do with the results. Scientists don't know how to reverse someone's biological age — or whether that's even possible.
測試的另一個問題是對於如何利用測試結果尚無定論。科學家們尚不知道如何逆轉一個人的生理年齡，甚至不知道這是否有可能。

"Expanding access and using more frequent testing to optimize health seems fairly reasonable to me," Dr. Poganik, an instructor at Harvard Medical School who researches biological aging said. But, "any claims of accurate, individual-level determination of biological age should be approached with caution."
哈佛大學醫學院生物衰老領域的講師波加尼克博士（Dr. Poganik）說:「透過更多種手段、更頻繁的檢測來改善健康狀況，對我而言是相當合理的。」但是，「任何宣稱可以精準測定個人生理年齡的言論，都應該謹慎對待。」

1. biological age 生理年齡

Regular exercise and a healthy diet can contribute to maintaining a younger biological age.
定期運動和健康的飲食有助於保持生理年齡年輕。

2. reunion 重聚

 The family had a joyful reunion after being separated for many years.
闊別多年後，一家人歡聚在一起。

3. age 衰老

As we age, it's important to focus on maintaining both physical and mental well-being.
隨著年齡增長，注重保持身心健康變得越來越重要。

4. quantify 量化

It can be challenging to quantify the impact of emotions on decision-making.
量化情感對於決策的影響可能是一項具有挑戰性的任務。

5. define ... as ... 把......定義為......

In scientific terms, we define aging as the progressive decline in physiological function.
用科學術語來說，我們把衰老定義為生理功能逐漸衰退。

6. accumulation 逐漸增加，聚集

The accumulation of stress over time can have detrimental effects on mental health.
長期累積的壓力會對心理健康產生不良影響。

7. epigenome 表觀基因組。是指基因體中基因的表達模式和調控方式，表觀基因組的變化可以影響細胞的功能和特性，對生物體的發育、適應和疾病有著重要的影響。

The epigenome plays a crucial role in regulating gene expression without altering the DNA sequence.
表觀基因組在不改變 DNA 序列的情況下，調節基因表達發揮至關重要的作用。

8. assess 評估

Professionals use various tools to assess the cognitive abilities of individuals.
專業人士使用各種工具來評估個人的認知能力。

9. what to do with ... 如何處理，如何應對

When faced with a difficult decision, it's essential to carefully consider what to do with the available options.
當面對一個困難的決定時，必須仔細考慮該如何處理現有的選擇。

10. be approached with caution 處理某事時應持謹慎態度(approach something with caution)

The new scientific discovery should be approached with caution until further research confirms its validity.
在進一步的研究證實有效性之前，應謹慎看待這個新的科學發現。

史嘉琳《英語思維50講》每個人的英語基本功，看課程