A study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences finds that brain chemicals linked to addiction are in play with a high-sugar diet, and a study in the Archives of Internal Medicine shows that a high-carb diet had lasting mood-elevation effects.
发表在《美国国家科学院院刊》(Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences )杂志上的一项研究发现,大脑内与上瘾有关的化学物质与含糖高的饮食有联系。另外一项发表在《内科学文献》(Archives of Internal Medicine)杂志上的研究表明,高碳水化合物的饮食提高情绪的效果具有持续性。
Diet and the Brain
What you eat affects more than physical health. Two new studies have added to the growing evidence linking the stomach and the brain.
In a report in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, researchers studied how junk food can trigger addiction behaviors. The brain chemical corticotropin-releasing-factor, CRF, is linked to motivation, and plays a role in drug and alcohol withdrawal and relapse. Researchers had rats eat normal food, then binge on sugar and chocolate-flavored snacks. When the rats went off the junk, they expressed CRF, just as do rats going through withdrawal. The rodents also had more anxiety and were less interested in normal food.
Another study, published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, looked at human moods. Researchers followed 106 overweight people. Half followed a low-carb, very high-fat diet, and half ate a high-carbohydrate, low-fat diet. After a year, both groups averaged about 30 pounds weight loss. And though both groups' moods improved after two months, only the low-fat, high-carb group kept up the good feelings. So what we eat doesn't just go to our waists-it also goes to our brains.
饮食与情绪
你吃的东西不仅仅影响你的身体健康。越来越多的证据表明饮食还影响着情绪,目前两项新的研究再一次加强了这方面的证据。
研究者们研究了垃圾食品如何引发上瘾行为,他们的结果发表在《美国国家科学院院刊》(Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences )杂志上。大脑内的化学物质促肾上腺皮质激素释放因子(corticotropin-releasing-factor, CRF)与动机有关,CRF与在戒毒和戒酒过程中出现的不适症状以及重染这些旧习也有关系。研究者们让老鼠吃一些普通的食物,然后再让它们使劲儿吃糖和巧克力味的零食。当老鼠不再吃垃圾食品的时候,它们释放出CRF,这和老鼠经历脱瘾过程时候释放CRF一摸一样。这些老鼠同时也变得更加焦虑不安,它们对普通食物的兴趣也减少了。
发表在《内科学文献》(Archives of Internal Medicine)杂志上的另外一项研究关注人的情绪。研究者们跟踪调查了106名体重超标的人。在节食中过程中,其中一半人的饮食结构为低碳水化合物、脂肪非常高。另外一半人的饮食结构是高碳水化合物、低脂肪。一年以后,这两组人的体重平均都减轻了30磅。虽然这两组人的情绪在两个月之后都提高了,但是只有饮食结构为低脂肪、高碳水化合物的那一组保持着良好的心情。所以我们吃的东西不仅仅影响我们的体重--它还影响我们的心情。
Vocabulary:
Diet:饮食
Chemical:化学物质
Addiction: 上瘾
Elevation: 增强;提高
Stomach:胃
Junk Food:垃圾食品
Trigger:引发;导致
Corticotropin:促肾上腺皮质激素
Motivation:动机
Withdrawal:脱瘾过程;戒毒过程
Relapse:旧病复发
Binge:(短时间的)狂欢作乐
Snack:快餐;零食
Rodent:啮齿动物
Anxiety:焦虑