外刊阅读 | 经济学人 | 哇，母乳居然有这么多好处

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In the age of scams, consumers are stuck in a vicious cycle: a lack of faith in institutions makes us fall victim to fraud, which in turn makes us even less trusting of institutions.

在欺诈横行的时代，消费者陷入了一个恶性循环:对机构缺乏信心使我们成为欺诈的受害者，而欺诈又使我们更加不信任机构。

Breast milk’s benefits are not limited to babies

母乳的好处不仅限于婴儿

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In a talk she gave in 2016, Katie Hinde, a biologist from Arizona State University, lamented how little scientific attention was commanded by breast milk. In babies it can reduce inflammation, kill pathogens and improve the health of the immune system. As a result, some components of breast milk are now being studied as potential treatments for a host of adult conditions, including cancer, heart disease, arthritis and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). 

The exact composition of breast milk remains slightly mysterious. After water, its most abundant components are lactose; fatty compounds known as lipids; and sugar molecules called human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs). But it also contains a host of proteins, vitamins, minerals, enzymes, hormones and live cells from the mother’s body. Its richness continues to surprise: in 2009, for example, more than 250 previously unknown proteins were identified within it; in 2015 it yielded up 300 new microRNA molecules, which regulate gene expression throughout the body.

In a recent study of milk from 1,200 mothers on three continents, Dr Azad and her colleagues found roughly 50,000 small molecules, most of them unknown to science. By using artificial-intelligence (AI) models to analyse this list of ingredients, and link them to detailed health data on babies and their mothers, they hope to identify components beneficial for specific aspects of babies’ development.In one case, doctors noticed that preterm babies who are fed breast milk, as opposed to formula, had dramatically lower incidence of necrotising enterocolitis (NEC), an often fatal disease in which intestinal tissue becomes inflamed and dies. That observation prompted research on whether any specific components in breast milk could be conferring this protection.

HMOs, which are known to have anti-inflammatory effects, may be partly responsible. That has led to the idea that HMOs could be used as therapeutics for diseases that involve inflammation. In a study in mice published in 2021, Lars Bode at the University of California, San Diego, and his colleagues reported that one HMO reduced the development of atherosclerosis, the blockage of arteries that leads to heart attack and stroke. Dr Bode says that in other experiments with mice, the results of which are yet to be published, HMOs have shown promise in treating arthritis and multiple sclerosis. 

Other exciting results have emerged from studying breastfeeding itself. When babies breastfeed, some of the milk ends up in their nasal cavity. It is possible, say scientists, that it could then make its way into the brain. In a small study in 2019 doctors at the Children’s Hospital in Cologne nasally administered maternal breast milk to 16 premature babies with brain injury. The babies subsequently had less brain damage, and required less surgery, than those who did not receive the treatment.Similar results were reported in May by researchers at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto. In a small safety study, they administered intranasal breast milk as a preventive treatment for brain haemorrhage in premature babies; 18 months later, babies so treated had better motor and cognitive development, and fewer vision problems, than those fed only the usual way. Though bigger trials are needed to confirm these results, stem cells in the milk may be repairing some of the damage.

HMOs, which are known to have anti-inflammatory effects, may be partly responsible.

be responsible for...  

HMOs（人乳寡糖）具有抗炎作用，可能是造成这种情况的部分原因。

Doctors noticed that preterm babies /who are fed breast milk, as opposed to formula, had dramatically lower incidence of necrotising enterocolitis (NEC), an often fatal disease /in which intestinal tissue becomes inflamed and dies. 

主干是：Doctors noticed that preterm babies had dramatically lower incidence of necrotising enterocolitis (NEC). who are fed breast milk, as opposed to formula 是定语从句，修饰限定先行词preterm babies，an often fatal disease 是necrotising enterocolitis (NEC)的同位语，对NEC进行解释说明，in which intestinal tissue becomes inflamed and dies 是定语从句，修饰限定先行词disease。

翻译：医生注意到，与配方奶喂养的婴儿相比，母乳喂养的早产儿患坏死性小肠结肠炎（NEC）的发病率显著降低，这是一种经常致命的疾病，其肠道组织会发炎并坏死。

It is too early to tell whether any blockbuster drugs will result.

翻译练习，欢迎大家文末留言打卡，下期推送文章公布答案哟，一起阅外刊学英语吧！

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