雅思阅读材料之西方快餐与心脏病的关系

　at a raised risk of diabetes：提高患糖尿病的风险

But Asian fast foods, such as noodles or dumplings, did not bear the same risk, the study published in the journal Circulation said。

bear the same risk：承受同样的风险

the journal Circulation：《循环》杂志

With globalization, U.S.-style fast food has become commonplace in East and Southeast Asia. The study looked at more than 60,000 Singaporeans of Chinese descent。

"Many cultures welcome (Western fast food) because it's a sign they're developing their economics," said Andrew Odegaard, from the University of Minnesota School of Public Health, who led the study。

　　the University of Minnesota School of Public Health：明尼苏达大学的公共卫生学院

"But while it may be desirable from a cultural standpoint, from a health perspective there may be a cost," he told Reuters Health。

　　a cultural standpoint：文化角度

The study participants were interviewed in the 1990s, then followed for about a decade。

Participants were between 45 and 74 years old at the outset. During the study period, 1,397 died of cardiac causes and 2,252 developed type 2 diabetes。

died of cardiac causes：死于心脏病

Those who ate fast food two or more times a week had 27 percent greater odds of diabetes and 56 percent higher risk of cardiac death than those who ate little or no fast food, the researchers found。

greater odds of：更大的几率

Among 811 subjects who ate Western-style fast food four or more times a week, the risk of cardiac death rose by 80 percent。

　　Western-style fast food：西式快餐

The findings held even after the researchers adjusted for other factors that could influence health, including age, sex, weight, smoking status and education level。

In fact, the Singaporeans who ate Western fast food often were more likely to be younger, educated and physically active, and were less likely to smoke, than those who stuck to a more traditional diet。

physically active：体力活动

Odegaard's team found that Eastern fast foods, such as dim sum, noodles and dumplings, were not associated with more cases of type 2 diabetes and cardiac deaths。

　　dim sum：中式点心

be not associated with:与……无关

"It wasn't their own snacks that was putting them at increased risk, but American-style fast food," he said。

The profile of the fast food eaters differs markedly from that of the average fast food consumer in the United States, he added, with eating fast food in countries like Singapore a status symbol and a way of "participating in American culture"。

　　a status symbol：身份象征

The findings hold serious implications for recently developed and emerging countries, said Sara Bleich, an assistant professor of health policy at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore。

hold serious implications for：对……有严重影响

Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health：约翰霍普金斯大学彭博公共卫生学院

"The big multinational fast food companies are increasingly looking to maximize profit outside the United States, and they're looking to emerging economies like Singapore to do that," she said. "So at the global level, the health implications are very strong."