Daily, moderate drinking could almost halve the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease or other types of dementia, according to new research.

　　根据最新医学研究发现，每天适量饮酒可能会使患阿尔茨海默氏(早老性痴呆)或其它类型痴呆症的危险减少一半。

　　The finding adds to a growing body of evidence for the health benefits of moderate drinking, which is already known to protect against heart disease and stroke

　　越来越多的发现证明适量饮酒有益健康，如人们已经了解的适量饮酒可以预防心脏病和中风，这项新的发现又为此说增添了证据。

　　The study, published this week in The Lancet medical journal, also found that it doesn't seem to matter what people drink - the effect is the same.

　　发表在本周医学杂志《柳叶刀》上的这项研究还发现，无论人们饮何种酒，其效果都是相同的。

　　Experts say moderation - between one and three drinks a day - is the key.

　　专家说，适量即每天饮1至3杯酒是关键。

　　The adverse effect of excess alcohol is beyond question. Besides destroying the liver, several studies have shown that excessive drinking can be toxic to the brain. Alcoholics can end up with a shrunken brain, which is linked to dementia. There is even a medical condition called alcoholic dementia

　　过量饮酒的不良作用是毫无疑问的。除了损伤肝脏，许多研究已证明，过量饮酒可使大脑中毒。饮酒过量者最终会导致大脑萎缩，造成痴呆。甚至医学上就专门有"酒精中毒性痴呆"一说。

　　Scientists at Erasmus University in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, conducted a six-year study of 5,395 people aged 55 and over who did not have signs of dementia.

　　荷兰鹿特丹Erasmus大学的科学家对5395位55岁以上的人进行了6年的追踪研究，当时，他们没有患痴呆病的症状。

　　They were asked whether they ever drank alcohol. Those who said yes were quizzed on how often they drank and details on their consumption of specific drinks such as wine, beer, spirits and fortified wine such as sherry and port.

　　研究人员首先问他们是否喝过酒，对饮酒者再进一步追问他们是否经常喝酒，多少时间喝一次酒，喝什么酒，诸如葡萄酒、啤酒、烈酒，还是加度葡萄酒如雪利酒和波尔图酒。

　　The men mostly drank beer and liquor, while women preferred wine and fortified wine.

　　男人通常饮用啤酒和烈酒，而女士更喜爱饮果酒和加度葡萄酒。liuxuepaper.com