健康：水質(zhì)和嬰兒的皮膚息息相關

　　A new study has been published this month that puts water quality and the skin of infants under the microscope.Dr. Carsten Flohr and his team at King’s College London presented the results of their population-based study in The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.

　　一項最新發(fā)布的調(diào)查報告仔細研究了水質(zhì)和嬰兒皮膚的關系。在倫敦國王學院， Carsten Flohr 博士和自己的團隊將他們基于人群的研究成果發(fā)布在《變態(tài)反應與臨床免疫學雜志》上。 　　Researchers involved about 1,300 three-month old babies from across the UK in this study. They looked specifically at the level of calcium carbonate in the water, which is a measure of water hardness. The level of chlorine in the family’s water supply was also taken into consideration, as was the use of bathing products, and how regularly the infants were bathed.

　　這項研究的調(diào)查員選擇了全英國1300名3個月大的嬰兒為研究對象。他們仔細測量了水中的碳酸鈣含量，以此表示水的硬度。同時還測量了家庭用水中的氯含量，洗浴用品的使用情況，以及嬰兒洗浴的頻率。

　　The infants were then examined for the presence of childhood eczema, also known as atopic dermatitis. The natural barrier of their skin was also examined; infants were screened for the FLG gene which is associated with a compromised skin barrier.

　　隨后觀察這些嬰兒是否出現(xiàn)嬰兒濕疹狀況，也就是我們說的特應性皮炎。同時還測量了皮膚的天然屏障情況以及體內(nèi)的FLG基因狀況，這種基因與皮膚保護層受損有關系。

　　What they found was striking.

　　他們的結(jié)論令人大跌眼鏡。

　　The study found that hard water is linked to an 87 percent increased risk of eczema for babies of three months of age.

　　研究發(fā)現(xiàn)，水質(zhì)過硬會導致3個月大的嬰兒患皮膚濕疹的幾率增加87%。

　　“Our study builds on growing evidence of a link between exposure to hard water and the risk of developing eczema in childhood. It’s not yet clear whether calcium carbonate has a direct detrimental effect on the skin barrier, or whether other environmental factors directly related to water hardness, such as the water’s pH, may be responsible.” Dr Carsten Flohr said.

　　Carsten Flohr博士稱：“越來越多的證據(jù)指向水質(zhì)過硬與兒童患皮膚濕疹有關系，我們的研究正是建立在這個基礎上。目前并不清楚碳酸鈣是否直接對皮膚屏障有害，也不清楚別的環(huán)境因素是否會直接導致水質(zhì)過硬問題，比如水的PH值也許會致此。”

　　And the study, thankfully, doesn’t end there.

　　謝天謝地，研究并未中止于此。

　　Dr. Flohr will be examining these results further, with a new study in the works. This subsequent study is due to commence later this year and the question they will be seeking to answer is whether a device to lower water hardness in households will have any effect on the skin of infants.

　　Flohr博士將在新的研究中進一步檢測這些結(jié)果。這項新的研究將于今年晚些時候開始，主要致力于解決在家庭用水中安裝軟化水設備是否會對嬰兒皮膚產(chǎn)生影響。

　　If a device is introduced into a household when a baby is born, will the risk of eczema developing reduce?

　　如果嬰兒出生后，家里安裝軟化水設備，那么嬰兒患濕疹的概率會不會降低呢?

　　For those with babies or children suffering, this could be the news you have hoped for. Eczema is a painful condition; any relief would be welcome.

　　對于那些有孩子的家庭來說，這也許是你希望看到的結(jié)果。濕疹很痛苦，我們愿付出一切來減輕這種痛苦。