Pharmacology
药物学
Could weight-loss drugs eat the world?
减肥药能通吃天下吗？
Scientists are finding that anti-obesity medicines can also help many other diseases
科学家们发现，减肥药也有助于治疗许多其他疾病
THE GILA monster is a poisonous North American lizard that measures around 50 centimetres and sports a distinctive coat of black and orange scales. This lethargic reptile, which mostly dwells underground and eats just three to four times a year, is the unlikely inspiration for one of pharma’s biggest blockbusters: a new generation of weight-loss drugs that has patients—and investors—in a frenzy. Originally made for diabetes, evidence is growing that they also have benefits in diseases of the heart, kidney, liver and beyond.
吉拉毒蜥是北美一种有毒的蜥蜴，它体长约50厘米，全身覆盖着一层独特的黑橙相间的鳞片。这种行动迟缓的爬行动物大部分时间生活在地下，一年只进食三到四次。很难想象，它竟然会成为制药业最畅销的产品之一——新一代减肥药的灵感来源。这些减肥药令患者和投资者都为之疯狂。尽管研发它们的初衷是治疗糖尿病，不过越来越多的证据表明，它们对心脏、肾脏、肝脏等其他方面的疾病也有疗效。
- scale 鳞；鳞片
- lethargic 慵懒的；没精打采的；懒洋洋的（参见：小词详解 | lethargy）
- reptile 爬行动物
- dwell 指“居住、栖身”，与 live 和 reside 十分相近，只是常作为正式用语或书面用语使用，口语中通常用 live 代替（参见：小词详解 | dwell）
- blockbuster 一鸣惊人的事物；（尤指）非常成功的书（或电影）（参见：小词详解 | blockbuster）
- frenzy 疯狂；狂乱；狂暴（参见：小词详解 | frenzy）
- diabetes 糖尿病；多尿症
Since the late 1980s scientists believed that a gut hormone called glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), which is secreted by the intestines after a meal, could help treat diabetes. GLP-1 increases the production of insulin (a hormone that lowers blood-sugar levels) and reduces the production of glucagon (which increases blood-sugar levels). But GLP-1 is broken down by enzymes in the body very quickly, so it sticks around for only a few minutes. If it were to be used as a drug, therefore, patients would have faced the unwelcome prospect of needing GLP-1 injections every hour.
上世纪80年代末以来，科学家们认为，餐后肠道分泌的一种名为胰高血糖素样肽-1（GLP-1）的肠道激素可以帮助治疗糖尿病。GLP-1能促进胰岛素（一种能降低血糖水平的激素）的分泌，并抑制胰高血糖素（会提高血糖水平）的分泌。但GLP-1很容易被人体内的酶快速分解，所以只能存留几分钟。因此，如果把它用作药物，患者每隔一小时就需要注射一次GLP-1，让人不胜其烦。
- gut 消化道；肠道
- secrete 主要表示“（动植物或其器官、细胞等）分泌”（参见：小词详解 | secrete）
- insulin 胰岛素
- enzyme 酶
