According to data from the Pew Research Center, 72 percent of Internet users say they turn to the Web for health information in a given year. I know it’s tempting, especially late at night when the doctor’s office is closed, but I’d urge you to step away from the keyboard. Some online resources can yield inaccurate, even dangerous, advice. I asked the analysts at Google to share some of the most commonly searched health questions. Here are answers you can trust—and some online advice you should disregard.
根據(jù)美國皮尤研究中心的數(shù)據(jù),在所給年份里,72%的互聯(lián)網(wǎng)用戶稱自已曾在網(wǎng)上搜索過健康信息。我明白網(wǎng)絡搜索很有誘惑力,尤其是在診所已經(jīng)關門的深夜。但我想勸你遠離網(wǎng)絡搜索。一些網(wǎng)上資源給出的建議可能是錯誤的,甚至會帶來危險。我請谷歌的分析師分享了一些最熱搜的健康問題。以下是你可以信任的回答——和一些你應當丟棄的網(wǎng)絡建議。
Is there any way to stop snoring?
怎樣才能不打呼嚕?
Snoring happens when your airflow becomes partially blocked. Some easy fixes: Try sleeping on your side or stomach (research shows those positions may reduce snoring) and avoiding alcohol (liquor can relax throat muscles, making it more difficult for air to get through). If the racket is heavy and accompanied by gasping or pauses in your breathing, you might have sleep apnea; your doctor may suggest a mouthpiece or a breathing machine to ease your nighttime breathing.
當呼吸氣流局部受阻,你就會打呼。有些簡單的應對方法:試著側睡或者趴著睡(有研究表明這些姿勢可能會緩解打呼癥狀),以及避免飲酒(酒精會松弛咽喉肌肉,使空氣更難通過)。如果鼾聲很響且伴有呼吸困難或呼吸暫停,你可能患有睡眠呼吸暫停綜合征。醫(yī)生或許會建議你使用口腔糾治器或呼吸機來改善夜間呼吸。
Reality check: You may have read that throat sprays prevent snoring—not true. Snoring that arises in the throat happens because the muscles are too relaxed. There’s no reason lubricating or numbing your throat would have any effect.
事實糾正:你可能讀到過喉頭噴霧可以防止打呼——這不是真的。打呼是因為咽喉肌肉太松弛,潤滑或者麻痹咽喉就會起作用的說法毫無道理。
Is coffee bad for you?
咖啡有害健康嗎?
Just the opposite. Numerous studies have shown that coffee is associated with impressive health perks. It’s been linked to lower risk of heart disease, Parkinson’s, and liver cancer—and it might even help you live longer. In fact, a recent study in the American Journal of Epidemiology found that people who drank coffee had a lower risk of death over the course of 11 years compared with those who skipped joe altogether.
恰恰相反。許多研究表明,咖啡對健康大有好處。它能減少心臟病、帕金森癥和肝癌的發(fā)病風險——甚至可能幫你活得更久。實際上,美國流行病學期刊最近的一項研究發(fā)現(xiàn),在11年里,喝咖啡的人比完全不喝咖啡的人死亡風險更低。
Reality check: Some people believe that drinking coffee before working out will leave you dehydrated. In actuality, one study found that java’s diuretic effects don’t exist with exercise.
事實糾正:有人認為運動前喝咖啡會讓你脫水。事實上,有研究表明,咖啡的利尿作用并不會發(fā)生在運動中。
How many grams of sugar should I have per day?
每天應該攝入多少克糖?
The 2015 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends that less than 10 percent of daily calories come from added sugars. That’s under 200 calories, or 50 grams, in a 2,000-calorie diet.
2015年《美國居民膳食指南》建議,從添加糖中攝入的熱量要控制在每日總熱量的10%以內。對于2000卡路里的飲食,就是少于200卡路里或者50克。
Reality check: If you’ve been avoiding fruits that are high in sugar, you can stop. The guidelines are only for added sugars, not those naturally occurring in unprocessed food.
事實糾正:如果你一直在避免高糖水果,你可以不用這么做了。膳食指南只針對添加糖,不包括未經(jīng)加工的食物里自然含有的糖。
How can I get rid of love handles?
如何擺脫腰間贅肉?
An amped-up workout can help. A review in the Journal of Obesity found that women who did high-intensity interval workouts burned more of the subcutaneous belly fat that causes love handles than women who exercised longer at a lower-intensity, steady pace.
高強度鍛煉會有幫助。《肥胖》期刊的一篇評論指出,比起以較低強度持續(xù)鍛煉更長時間的女性,做高強度間隔訓練的女性燃燒的腹部皮下脂肪更多。正是這些脂肪導致了腰間贅肉。
Reality check: It’s a myth—I repeat, a myth—that juice cleanses can whittle your waist for good. Exercise and eating nutritious foods in reasonable portions will shrink love handles long-term.
事實糾正:喝排毒果汁就能一勞永逸地瘦身——這是個神話。我重復一遍,這是個神話。長遠來看,鍛煉與營養(yǎng)膳食的合理搭配才能減少腰間贅肉。
What’s the secret to banishing cellulite?
如何消除脂肪團?
Cellulite occurs when fat pushes against connective tissue, making the skin above it pucker. If you’re considering liposuction, don’t. (It can’t break up the connective tissues that cause dimples.) The best things you can do are exercise (cardio plus resistance training) and eat high-fiber foods while avoiding processed sugar and fat, which can contribute to cellulite.
脂肪團的產(chǎn)生是由于脂肪推擠結締組織,造成上層皮膚褶皺。如果你在考慮抽脂,千萬別去做。(抽脂不能分解形成酒窩的結締組織。)最好的辦法是鍛煉(有氧運動加上阻力訓練),吃高纖維食物,同時避免攝入加工過的糖和脂肪,那會促進脂肪團的生成。
Reality check: Heard the one about coffee grounds treating cellulite? Don’t believe it. No scientific studies have shown it works.
事實糾正:聽說過用咖啡渣消減脂肪團的方法嗎?別信。沒有科學研究證明它有效。
Good to Know
不可不知
Online symptom trackers— including ones by WebMD, iTriage, and the Mayo Clinic—provided the correct diagnosis first in a list of possible outcomes in only 34 percent of cases, according to a 2015 report.
根據(jù)2015年的一份報告,在線的癥狀查詢服務只在34%的案例中將正確的診斷列在了一連串可能結果的首位。美國最大的醫(yī)療健康網(wǎng)站W(wǎng)ebMD、醫(yī)療服務應用iTriage和美國梅奧醫(yī)學中心的在線服務也不例外。