Unit 15. Food

Lexis: Physiology / Biochemistry / Molecular biology / Genetics / Nutrition / Public health / Food science Listening. 4 texts.

Text a. Diet and the evolution of the brain

Exercise 1. Before listening to the text discuss the questions:

1. What food components benefit the brain?

2. What is the difference between omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids?

3. What are omega-3 fatty acids, particularly, DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) responsible for in the human body?

junction – соединение displacement – замещение, вытеснение audacious – отважный, maize – кукуруза rape – рапс crude – предварительный, грубый, недоработанный ubiquitous – повсеместный, вездесущий formula milk – молочная смесь (для грудных детей) to supplement – добавлять, дополнять malign – пагубный, вредный, злокачественный methyl mercury – метилртуть to outweigh – перевесить, быть более важным

Exercise 2. Listen to the text (Script 46) to check your answers in Exercise 1. Who are the following scientists and what points of view do they present in the text:

1. Michael Crawford, a researcher at the Institute of Brain Chemistry and Human Nutrition in London,

2. Joseph Hibbeln, a researcher at America's National Institutes of Health,

3. Thomas Brenna, a professor of nutrition at Cornell University.

Exercise 3. Listen to the text again and say what the following figures refer to in the text:

600 million 1.8 kg 350 g 6 million

the 1990-s 7.8 95% 2004

8% 1% 1909 the early 21st century

Exercise 4. Using information from the text answer the questions:

1. What is DHA responsible for in the human body?

2. What was the role of DHA in the evolutionary perspective?

3. How has the current shift from DHA to the omega-6 fatty acids affected human health? Why did the shift occur?

4. What food products contain the highest concentrations of DHA?

5. What effects does lack of DHA produce on cognitive development and mental condition?

6. How have DHA-related dietary recommendations changed?

7. What consequences can be caused by the shift in the proportion of omega-6 fatty acids in the diet?

Text b. Nutrition and health

Exercise 5. Before listening to the text make a list of the benefits that are provided by fruit and vegetables in our diet.

to comply with – соответствовать, отвечать требованиям to bias – настраивать, внушать предубеждение, склонять в пользу чего-л. to stave off – предотвратить, отсрочить couch potato – лежебока, лентяй

Exercise 6. Listen to the text (Script 47) which explores the health effects of high doses of fruit and vegetables in the diet. How many from your list have been mentioned? Who are the following scientists and what points of view do they present in the text:

1) Paolo Boffetta, of the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York;

2) Walter Willet, of the Harvard School of Public Health;

3) Susan Jebb, of the British Medical Research Council's Collaborative Centre for Human Nutrition Research in Cambridge.

Exercise 7. Listen to the text again and say if the following statements are true or false, correct the false ones:

1. Studies have confirmed reductions of cancer-risk rates as high as 60% associated with consumption of vegetables.

2. Involving health-conscious people as study controls can bias the results.

3. Prospective cohort studies aim to identify the factors contributing to cancer by comparing people who have the disease with those who do not, but are otherwise similar.

4. Case-control studies follow a group of individuals over time and look at how different factors contribute to different outcomes.

5. Increased daily consumption of fruit and vegetables doesn’t produce significant cancer risk reduction.

6. People who eat virtually no fruit and vegetables are 90% more likely to develop cancer than those who follow the WHO recommendations.

7. The study attempted to adjust for every possible factor that might contribute to the relationship, and isolate only the contribution that fruit and vegetables make.

8. Elimination of fruit and vegetables from the diet doesn’t in any way affect the health condition.

9. There is no reliable evidence that fruit and vegetables protect against other serious disorders.

Exercise 8. What do the following figures refer to in the text:

50% 500,000 150 40% 2.6%

2.3% 9% 5 30% 1.5