News Plus慢速英语:美国禁烟运动挽救了数百万人的生命 维生素E能减缓老年痴呆症恶化

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Anti-smoking measures have saved roughly 8 million U.S. lives since a landmark 1964 report linking smoking and disease.
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the surgeon general report credited with raising alarms about the dangers of smoking.
In one study, researchers used national health surveys and death rates to calculate how many deaths might have occurred since 1964 if Americans' smoking habits and related deaths had continued at a pace in place before the report.
More than 42 percent of U.S. adults smoked in years preceding the report. That rate has dropped to about 18 percent.
The researchers say their calculation of 8 million deaths equals lives saved thanks to anti-smoking efforts.
Their report also says tobacco controls have contributed substantially to increases in U.S. life expectancy.

Researchers say vitamin E might slow the progression of mild-to-moderate Alzheimer's disease. This is the first time any treatment has been shown to alter the course of dementia at that stage.
In a study conducted of more than 600 older veterans, high doses of the vitamin delayed the decline in daily living skills, such as making meals, getting dressed and holding a conversation, by about six months over a two-year period.
Researchers in the United States says the benefit was equivalent to keeping one major skill that otherwise would have been lost, such as being able to bathe without help. For some people, that could mean living independently rather than needing a nursing home.
Vitamin E did not preserve thinking abilities, though, and it did no good for patients who took it with another Alzheimer's medication. But those taking vitamin E alone required less help from caregivers, about two fewer hours each day than some others in the study.
Researchers don't know how vitamin E might help, but it is an antioxidant, like those found in red wine, grapes and some teas. Antioxidants help protect cells from damage that can contribute to other diseases.
About 35 million people worldwide have dementia, and Alzheimer's is the most common type. There is no cure and current medicine just temporarily eases symptoms.