Taking fish oil during pregnancy could lower child’s asthma risk 懷孕時攝取魚油可降低孩童罹患氣喘風險

TODAY’S WORDS
今日單字

1. asthma n. 氣喘 

2. placebo n. 安慰劑 

3. wheeze v. 喘鳴 

4. incidence [of a disease] n.發病率 

5. inflammation n.發炎 

Women who took fish oil during the last three months of pregnancy significantly lowered the risk that their children would develop asthma, a study in Denmark has found.

Among children whose mothers took fish-oil capsules, 16.9 percent had asthma by age three, compared with 23.7 percent whose mothers were given placebos. The difference, nearly 7 percentage points, translates to a risk reduction of about 31 percent.

But in the study released on Dec. 28 last year, the researchers say they are not ready to recommend that pregnant women routinely take fish oil.

Before doctors can make any recommendations, the study should be replicated, and fish oil should be tested earlier in pregnancy and at different doses.

Doctors are eager to find ways to prevent asthma, a chronic disease that causes wheezing, coughing and breathing trouble, and that sends many families to the emergency room again and again.

The incidence has more than doubled in developed countries in recent decades.

Previous research had suggested that fish oil might help prevent asthma. The idea is plausible, because inflammation in the airways and lungs plays a major role in asthma, and fatty acids in fish oil are thought to prevent inflammation. The richest sources in food include fish like herring, sardines, mackerel, eel and salmon.

■ This article is an edited version of a piece that originally appeared in the New York Times

(New York Times / Denise Grady)

一項丹麥的研究發現，婦女在懷孕後期三個月攝取魚油可顯著降低孩童未來罹患氣喘之風險。

母親懷孕時服用魚油膠囊的孩童有百分之十六點九在三歲前罹患氣喘；而對照組母親懷孕時服用安慰劑的孩童，罹患氣喘的機率則為百分之二十三點七。其近七個百分點的差異，可換算出服用魚油將使罹患氣喘之風險減少約百分之三十一。

但在這份去年十二月二十八日發表的報告中，研究人員說他們尚不會建議懷孕婦女定期攝取魚油。

在醫師做出任何建議之前，研究應再經多次實驗驗證，並且應就懷孕較早期和不同劑量的變數再做測試。醫師亟欲找出預防氣喘之道。氣喘是一種會造成喘鳴、咳嗽和呼吸困難的慢性疾病，並造成許多家庭不斷出入急診室。

在近幾十年中氣喘在已開發國家的發病率已增加了一倍以上。

先前已有研究顯示魚油可能有助於預防氣喘，這看來是很合理的，因為氣管及肺部的發炎是造成氣喘的主要原因，而魚油中的脂肪酸則可預防發炎。最富含魚油的攝取來源包括鯡魚、沙丁、鯖魚、鰻魚、鮭魚等魚類。

■ 本文為編輯後的版本，原文已於紐約時報刊登。

（台北時報編譯林俐凱譯）

Yoga for Clean Lungs 對肺友幫助的瑜珈

Deep breathing, Yunlin’s most dangerous exercise 深呼吸，雲林的最危險的運動

Members of the Yunlin County Physician’s Group on Monday last week gather in Yunlin to demand that the public gets clean air.
雲林縣醫師團體上週一在雲林站出來，要政府還給人民乾淨新鮮的空氣。

Photo: Chan Shih-hung, Liberty Times 照片： 自由時報記者詹士弘攝

Deep breathing has become Yunlin County’s most dangerous exercise. On April 27, the spokesperson of Yunlin County Physician’s Group stated that he used to think Yunlin’s air was the cleanest in Taiwan, but now knows that there is a risk with each breath. If the government still does not address the pollution problem, no matter how much is spent on health insurance, it will never be enough.

Taiwan’s air quality has already worsened to the same level as China. The invisible nature of the hazard makes it only more worrying. PM2.5, which refers to particles smaller than 2.5 micrometers, is an invisible killer, making air pollution in Taiwan a matter of national security. The government must take more proactive measures, regulate the sources of pollution and control and manage overall pollution levels.

A doctor from Yunlin said, we can choose not to drink tea beverages from chains like 50 Lan or Stornaway, but we can not go a minute without breathing air. PM2.5 will raise the chances of the public getting asthma and lung cancer. Even foreign research indicates that dust under PM2.5 can be transferred to the brain through the alveolus and even lead to dementia.

The doctor said that when he found out that Yunlin had Taiwan’s worst air quality, it left him quite shocked. Big factories only create pollution for Yunlin; their taxes do not contribute anything to Yunlin. Yunlin used to have the best air quality, and now taking a deep breath has become the most dangerous exercise in this county. The government really must face up to this problem.

(Liberty Times, translated by Zane Kheir)

「深呼吸成雲林縣的最危險的運動」，雲林縣醫師團體發言人四月二七日表示，原本他以為雲林縣空氣最乾淨，現在才知道每吸一口氣都有風險，政府再不正視空污問題，健保費再多也不夠花。

TODAY’S WORDS
今日單字

1. worsen v. 惡化 

例: Relations between Japan and China have worsened recently.

(近來日本與中國的關係已經惡化。)

2. proactive adj. 積極 

例: Proactive students can easily improve their English.

(積極的學生可以輕易的提升英語能力。)

3. contribute v.貢獻 

例: I hope my work will contribute something to the team.

(我希望我的工作能對團隊有所貢獻。)

台灣的空氣品質已惡化到與中國同等級，看不到的傷害，讓人更為恐慌，pm兩點五是無形殺手，空污在台灣，已是國安問題，政府必須有更積極的作為，要從源頭、從污染總量管制起。

雲林的一位醫師表示，我們可以選擇不喝五十嵐、英國藍，但就是不能一分鐘不呼吸空氣，pm兩點五將提高民眾罹患哮喘、肺癌機率，甚至有國外研究指出，小於pm兩點五的灰塵，可透過肺泡轉移至腦部，甚至導致失智。

醫師說，得知雲林縣空氣品質全國最差，讓他相當震驚，大工廠對雲林只會製造污染，繳稅對雲林一點貢獻也沒有，原本空氣最好的雲林，變成「深呼吸成最危險的運動」，政府真的要正視問題。

〔自由時報記者詹士弘〕

This story has been viewed 3461 times.

Stop treating children’s allergies as colds 兒童過敏別再當感冒

A doctor uses a stethoscope to listen to a child breathe in Hsinchu County on Oct. 8 last year.

一位醫師去年十月八日於新竹縣用聽診器聽小孩呼吸。

Photo: Tsai Chang-sheng, Liberty Times

照片：自由時報記者蔡彰盛

During a volunteer clinic for children that was organized by the Pediatric Department at Feng Yuan Hospital in April, they found that 40 percent of the children suffered from allergies. Hay fever accounted for the majority. It was also discovered that sneezing and runny noses are often treated as common colds. Doctors say that allergies are hereditary and that learning which allergens are causing allergies is the only way to effectively control them.

Ma Chih-hao, head of pediatrics at Feng Yuan Hospital, says that asthma, hay fever and eczema are the most common allergic conditions he treats, which are all closely related to a person being predisposed to allergies, he says, adding that different allergies exhibit different symptoms. For example, allergic conjunctivitis makes the eyes turn red, hay fever usually makes people sneeze, have runny and itchy noses in the morning or when the seasons are changing, rashes are particularly noticeable on the head, face, neck, and joint areas with eczema, while shortness of breath and wheezing are often associated with asthma.

Ma says that between 50 and 70 percent of people with both asthma and hay fever typically suffer from inflammation of the sinuses. If the inflammation persists, the asthma usually gets worse and can cause a child to feel low and sleepy during the day, and have difficulty paying attention, which can affect everyday life and cause learning disorders.

Ma says that the common cold is usually better within three to five days, while runny noses, coughing or asthma brought on by allergies can persist for one to two weeks. Asthmatic coughing is typically at its worst during the middle of the night or when sudden temperature changes occur between seasons, he says, adding that hay fever is usually worst right after getting out of bed in the morning. He suggests seeing a specialist to determine which allergens are affecting you and find a solution to control the problem. The most common causes of allergic reactions in Taiwan are dust mites, cockroaches, cats, dogs and mold, all of which can be controlled by keeping your living environment clean, Ma says.

Nostril cleaning works for colds and allergies

TODAY’S WORDS 今日單字

1. disorder n. 障礙；失調；不適 

(例: Brent has been suffering from a mild stomach disorder. (布倫特患輕度胃病。)

2. specialist n. 專家；專科醫生 

例: Sarah is a podiatrist, or foot specialist. (莎拉是一位足科醫師，亦稱為腳專家。)

3. mold n. 黴菌；霉 

例: There’s mold all over the bread. Don’t it eat. (麵包都發霉了。不要吃。)