人类肥胖原因新探
文章来源: 文章作者: 发布时间:2007-04-17 03:07 字体: [ ]  进入论坛
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New Key to Obesity1

   The discovery of the obesity gene2 in humans half a decade ago offered evidence that chronic3 weight gain is the consequence of a mismatch between nature and nurture4. Simplistic explanations, such as blaming obesity on a drop in fat consumption, ignore scientific reality. In countries like India and China, obesity was virtually unknown until the introduction of a high-fat, Western-style diet.

人类肥胖原因新探

   5年前人类肥胖基因的发现提供了证据,从生物学的角度,证明了慢性体重增长是营养和身体本能不协调的结果。把肥胖归咎于脂肪消耗减少这样的解释过于简单,且忽略了科学实质。在许多国家,如印度或中国,直到引进了高脂肪西式饮食,肥胖症这个概念才为人所知。

One well-known reason for this is that dietary fat converts to body fat more effciently than does protein or carbohydrate5, but recently scientists have uncovered what appears to be an equally important factor. Some researchers in universities are investigating the possibility that high levels of fat and fructose are mucking up our brain chemistry, and thereby6 muting the signals that would normally tell us to put down the fork. These signals are produced by peptides, which are regulated by a number of hormones7. Under normal conditions these hormones help maintain a stable body weight by adjusting levels of the peptides that control eating. But a diet loaded with fat and fructose hampers8 the regulation of these hormones. Complicating9 matters still further is that the brain loses its ability to respond to these hormones as body fat increases -- so the obese10 are doubly penalized11.

    一个广为人知的原因是,食物中的脂肪比蛋白质或碳水化合物更易转化为身体中的脂肪。不过最近科学家发现一个看来同等重要的因素。一些大学学者在研究是否过量的脂肪和果糖会扰乱我们大脑中的化学物质,从而防碍大脑在正常情况下发出让我们放下餐叉的信号。这些信号通常是由缩氨酸产生的。而这些缩氨酸由很多荷尔蒙调节着。正常情况下,这些荷尔蒙调节控制进食的缩氨酸的水平从而有利于维持稳定的体重。不过含有过量脂肪和果糖的食物影响了这些荷尔蒙的调节功能。而且当身体脂肪增加的时候,大脑失去了对这些激素作出反应的能力--所以肥胖的人就更加容易肥胖。

Other researchers are finding evidence that constant exposure to fat and sugar can cause some humans to crave12 them as they do an addictive13 drug. A Princeton University psychologist recently showed that rats fed a high sugar diet were, when the sugar was removed, thrown into a state of anxiety similar to that seen in withdrawal14 from morphine or nicotine15. Sarah Leibowitz, a neurobiologist, believes that frequent exposure to fatty foods may configure the brain to crave still more fat. She has shown in animal studies that galanin, a brain peptide that simulates eating behavior and decreases energy expenditure16, increases when the animal eats a high-fat diet.

    另外一些研究人员正在寻找证据证明持续食用脂肪和糖会导致人们想吃更多的脂肪和糖,就像吸毒上瘾一样。普林斯顿大学的一位心理学家最近指出,经常喂食高糖食物的老鼠,在没有糖吃的时候,就会显得很焦虑,跟停止服用吗啡或烟碱时十分相似。神经生物学家萨拉·莱博维茨认为,频繁食用脂肪含量高的食物,会使大脑有想要更多脂肪的思维模式。她对动物进行的研究显示,当动物食用高脂肪食物的时候,甘丙肽,一种刺激进食并减低能量消耗的大脑缩氨酸增加了。

There are many factors contributing to the explosion of obesity in the United States, and the world, but the radical17 changes in the composition of our diet are first among them. While scientific work in this arena18 is in its infancy19, it's already clear that varying the amount of fat and other nutrients20 in the diet affects brain chemistry by activating21 certain genes22, and this in turn directs our dietary preferences. By submitting ourselves to a steady dose of highly processed, sweet, high-fat foods, we have unwittingly entered into a dangerous experiment, the long? term consequences of which are only now beginning to surface.

    导致美国和全世界肥胖人口剧增现象有很多因素,不过饮食结构的彻底改变当数头号原因。尽管科学家在这一领域的研究还处于初期,但已清楚地表明如果改变进食脂肪和其他营养物的数量就可以通过激活某些基因而影响大脑里的化学物质,从而指导着我们的进食取向。由于我们一直吃一定量的精加工高脂肪高糖食物,实际上我们已经在不知不觉中做了一个危险的实验,其长期后果现在才显露出来。



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1 obesity Dv1ya     
n.肥胖,肥大
参考例句:
  • One effect of overeating may be obesity.吃得过多能导致肥胖。
  • Sugar and fat can more easily lead to obesity than some other foods.糖和脂肪比其他食物更容易导致肥胖。
2 gene WgKxx     
n.遗传因子,基因
参考例句:
  • A single gene may have many effects.单一基因可能具有很多种效应。
  • The targeting of gene therapy has been paid close attention.其中基因治疗的靶向性是值得密切关注的问题之一。
3 chronic BO9zl     
adj.(疾病)长期未愈的,慢性的;极坏的
参考例句:
  • Famine differs from chronic malnutrition.饥荒不同于慢性营养不良。
  • Chronic poisoning may lead to death from inanition.慢性中毒也可能由虚弱导致死亡。
4 nurture K5sz3     
n.养育,照顾,教育;滋养,营养品;vt.养育,给与营养物,教养,扶持
参考例句:
  • The tree grows well in his nurture.在他的培育下这棵树长得很好。
  • The two sisters had received very different nurture.这俩个姊妹接受过极不同的教育。
5 carbohydrate FTPy0     
n.碳水化合物;糖类;(plural)淀粉质或糖类
参考例句:
  • You should not have too much carbohydrate in your diet.你日常饮食中不该有过多碳水化合物。
  • Cashew nuts are rich in carbohydrate.腰果含丰富碳水化合物。
6 thereby Sokwv     
adv.因此,从而
参考例句:
  • I have never been to that city,,ereby I don't know much about it.我从未去过那座城市,因此对它不怎么熟悉。
  • He became a British citizen,thereby gaining the right to vote.他成了英国公民,因而得到了投票权。
7 hormones hormones     
n. 荷尔蒙,激素 名词hormone的复数形式
参考例句:
  • This hormone interacts closely with other hormones in the body. 这种荷尔蒙与体內其他荷尔蒙紧密地相互作用。
  • The adrenals produce a large per cent of a man's sex hormones. 肾上腺分泌人体的大部分性激素。
8 hampers aedee0b9211933f51c82c37a6b8cd413     
妨碍,束缚,限制( hamper的第三人称单数 )
参考例句:
  • Prejudice sometimes hampers a person from doing the right thing. 有时候,偏见会妨碍人正确行事。
  • This behavior is the opposite of modeless feedback, and it hampers flow. 这个行为有悖于非模态的反馈,它阻碍了流。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓
9 complicating 53d55ae4c858e224b98a8187fa34fb04     
使复杂化( complicate的现在分词 )
参考例句:
  • High spiking fever with chills is suggestive of a complicating pylephlebitis. 伴有寒战的高热,暗示合并门静脉炎。
  • In America these actions become executive puberty rites, complicating relationships that are already complicated enough. 在美国,这些行动成了行政青春期的惯例,使本来已经够复杂的关系变得更复杂了。
10 obese uvIya     
adj.过度肥胖的,肥大的
参考例句:
  • The old man is really obese,it can't be healthy.那位老人确实过于肥胖了,不能算是健康。
  • Being obese and lazy is dangerous to health.又胖又懒危害健康。
11 penalized c88c37e7a177d0a347c36794aa587e91     
对…予以惩罚( penalize的过去式和过去分词 ); 使处于不利地位
参考例句:
  • You will be penalized for poor spelling. 你拼写不好将会受到处罚。
  • Team members will be penalized for lateness. 队员迟到要受处罚。
12 crave fowzI     
vt.渴望得到,迫切需要,恳求,请求
参考例句:
  • Many young children crave attention.许多小孩子渴望得到关心。
  • You may be craving for some fresh air.你可能很想呼吸呼吸新鲜空气。
13 addictive hJbyL     
adj.(吸毒等)使成瘾的,成为习惯的
参考例句:
  • The problem with video game is that they're addictive.电子游戏机的问题在于它们会使人上瘾。
  • Cigarettes are highly addictive.香烟很容易使人上瘾。
14 withdrawal Cfhwq     
n.取回,提款;撤退,撤军;收回,撤销
参考例句:
  • The police were forced to make a tactical withdrawal.警方被迫进行战术撤退。
  • They insisted upon a withdrawal of the statement and a public apology.他们坚持要收回那些话并公开道歉。
15 nicotine QGoxJ     
n.(化)尼古丁,烟碱
参考例句:
  • Many smokers who are chemically addicted to nicotine cannot cut down easily.许多有尼古丁瘾的抽烟人不容易把烟戒掉。
  • Many smokers who are chemically addicted to nicotine cannot cut down easily.许多有尼古丁瘾的抽烟人不容易把烟戒掉。
16 expenditure XPbzM     
n.(时间、劳力、金钱等)支出;使用,消耗
参考例句:
  • The entry of all expenditure is necessary.有必要把一切开支入账。
  • The monthly expenditure of our family is four hundred dollars altogether.我们一家的开销每月共计四百元。
17 radical hA8zu     
n.激进份子,原子团,根号;adj.根本的,激进的,彻底的
参考例句:
  • The patient got a radical cure in the hospital.病人在医院得到了根治。
  • She is radical in her demands.她的要求十分偏激。
18 arena Yv4zd     
n.竞技场,运动场所;竞争场所,舞台
参考例句:
  • She entered the political arena at the age of 25. 她25岁进入政界。
  • He had not an adequate arena for the exercise of his talents.他没有充分发挥其才能的场所。
19 infancy F4Ey0     
n.婴儿期;幼年期;初期
参考例句:
  • He came to England in his infancy.他幼年时期来到英国。
  • Their research is only in its infancy.他们的研究处于初级阶段。
20 nutrients 6a1e1ed248a3ac49744c39cc962fb607     
n.(食品或化学品)营养物,营养品( nutrient的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • a lack of essential nutrients 基本营养的缺乏
  • Nutrients are absorbed into the bloodstream. 营养素被吸收进血液。 来自《简明英汉词典》
21 activating 948eea612456562bf255d3a9c59c40a3     
活动的,活性的
参考例句:
  • "I didn't say we'd got to stop activating the masses! “我并没说就此不发动! 来自子夜部分
  • Presumably both the very small size and activating influence of fluorine atoms contribute to this exception. 这大概是由于氟原子半径小和活性高这两个原因的影响,氟原子对这种例外做出了贡献。
22 genes 01914f8eac35d7e14afa065217edd8c0     
n.基因( gene的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • You have good genes from your parents, so you should live a long time. 你从父母那儿获得优良的基因,所以能够活得很长。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • Differences will help to reveal the functions of the genes. 它们间的差异将会帮助我们揭开基因多种功能。 来自英汉非文学 - 生命科学 - 生物技术的世纪
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