重新审视抗癌之战

    此外还有一些预防炎症的简单方法。阿古斯解释道，与其一次性进行大量高强度的激烈运动然后在桌子后面坐一整天，远远不如多走点路更好。（走路的节奏对人体的淋巴系统有益，而淋巴系统在一定程度上控制着免疫系统。）尽量穿舒服的鞋子，它可以减轻关节的压力。（光脚或穿高跟鞋走路可能导致关节受损，从而引发足部炎症。）

    不过也有人反对阿古斯的理论。比如加州大学旧金山分校（UCSF）的医学教授丽塔•莱德伯格认为，现有证据并不支持他汀类药物的广泛使用。她说：“我给病人开药的目的是要让病人感觉更好或活得更久，而他汀类药物并不能起到以上任何一种效果。”不仅如此，他汀类药物还可能导致包括肌肉疼痛和糖尿病在内的副作用。

    当然，阿古斯还是认为他汀类药物在许多情况下利大于弊。除此之外，他还有许多别的养生办法，这些办法好在并不需要我们做出什么超人的努力。阿古斯的许多养生之道都是常识性的，也就是培养健康的生活方式。

    阿古斯也相信，我们还需要一些新的工具才能真正了解我们的身体。他建议我们每个人都应进行基因成像。基因图像并不会告诉我们是否会染上某种疾病，但会告诉我们染上这种病的几率有多大，从而帮助我们做出正确的判断。几年前，他与别人合作创办了一家名叫Navigenics（意为“基因导航”——译注）的公司，专门提供基因检测服务，每次收费400美元。这家公司得到了凯鹏华盈投资公司（Kleiner Perkins）风投家约翰•杜尔的资助，他是谷歌的早期投资人之一。阿古斯也给自己的DNA画了像，还把结果展示在书里公之于众——他发现自己存在罹患心脏病的风险。这有点奇怪，因为他的胆固醇水平一直很低。尽管如此，他还是开始摄入更健康的饮食，并开始服用他汀类药物。

    我们在一些新工具的帮助下或许能在更早的阶段检测到隐藏的疾病。问题的关键在于我们需要理解构建生命的基石——蛋白质的活动机理。缺损的蛋白质可能是某种疾病的早期标志，然而追踪蛋白质是一项极其因难的工作——蛋白质的大小只有一个中子那么大。大约8年前，阿古斯创办了另一家公司，名叫Applied Proteomics。他与超级计算机专家丹尼•希利斯合作开发了一个系统，有能力对几十万个蛋白质水平进行编目。目前这家公司仍处于科研阶段，一旦它取得成功，就能为医学界提供一个重要的诊断工具。

    阿古斯说，上个月英国的《每日镜报》（Daily Mirror）刊发了一篇书评，介绍了他的新书，结果一下子有7,000多人愤怒地发博文或写电子邮件对他进行谴责。有些人指责他想乘机宣传自己的基因成像公司以此谋利。阿古斯对这个问题的回答是，他在那家DNA公司只有很少的股份。

    实际上，阿古斯未来面临着更大的挑战——他需要让自己的理念被医学界广泛接受。也许到那时，他才能把听众席上的嘘声变成欢呼声。

    译者：朴成奎

    There are other simple ways to fight inflammation. Agus explains that it's better to walk a lot than to do an intense burst of exercise and then sit behind a desk all day. (The rhythmic part of walking helps your lymphatics function, part of the system that controls your immune system.) Wear comfortable shoes, which lowers stress on joints. (Walking barefoot or in high heels can cause damage to the joints and thus inflame your feet.)

    His approach has its detractors. Dr. Rita Redberg, a professor of medicine at UCSF, argues that the evidence doesn't support the widespread use of statins. "I prescribe medicine to make people feel better or live longer, and statins do neither," she says. Not only that, statins can have side effects ranging from muscle aches to diabetes.

    Of course, Agus thinks statins in many cases do more good than harm and, anyway, are just one tool in his arsenal. The nice thing about his approach is that nothing requires a superhuman effort -- a lot of it is just commonsense, healthy living.

    Agus also believes we need new tools to really understand our bodies. He suggests that each of us get genetically profiled. This won't tell us whether we'll contract a certain disease but will tell us the probability of getting it, allowing us to make the proper adjustments. A few years ago he co-founded Navigenics, a company that does genetic screening at $400 a pop and is backed by venture capitalist John Doerr of Kleiner Perkins, an early investor in Google (GOOG). When Agus had his own DNA profiled -- the results are in the book for all to see -- he found he was at risk of having a heart attack. This was strange because his cholesterol had always been low. Nonetheless, it was enough to persuade him to go on a healthier diet and start taking statins.

    New tools may also make it possible to detect diseases at a much earlier stage. The key is understanding how proteins -- which are the building blocks of life -- operate. Faulty proteins can be early indicators of a disease. The trouble is, tracing proteins is incredibly hard to do -- they are the size of a single neutron. About eight years ago Agus started another company called Applied Proteomics. He joined up with supercomputer guru Danny Hillis to create a system with the horsepower to catalogue hundreds of thousands of protein levels. The company is still a work in progress, but if it succeeds, it will provide an important diagnostic tool.

    When Agus's book was reviewed by the Daily Mirror in England last month, he says he got 7,000 angry blog and e-mail responses. Some accused him of trying to cash in on his DNA-profiling firm. Agus's response? That he has only a small stake in the DNA firm.

    Agus, however, has a bigger challenge ahead. He needs to get his ideas widely accepted by the medical community. Maybe then he can turn those hisses into cheers.