VOA慢速英語: 巧克力提高記憶力和健康

Chocolate Improves Memory and Heart Health

巧克力提高記憶力和心臟健康

Flavanol, a naturally occurring antioxidants found in cocoa, reversed age-related memory decline in healthy older adults in a recent study. (Photo courtesy of Mars, Inc., the chocolate company who helped to fund the study.)

From VOA Learning English, this is the Health Report.

這里是美國之音英語學習的健康報道。

Can eating a chocolate bar every day really prevent age-related memory loss?

每天吃條巧克力就能阻止隨著年齡的增長而導致的記憶力衰退？

No.

不。

Can eating chocolate cake for breakfast, lunch and dinner be good for your heart?

早餐、午餐和晚餐吃巧克力蛋糕對心臟有益處嗎？

Again, the answer is no.

答案也是否定的。

That would be too good to be true.

吃巧克力不可能達到那么多效果。

But new research shows that large amounts of flavanols, substances found in cocoa, tea and some vegetables, may reverse age-related memory failure. Another study is looking to see if high levels of cocoa flavanols can help prevent heart attacks and strokes.

但是最近新研究表明：在可可、茶和一些蔬菜中發(fā)現(xiàn)大量黃烷醇類物質，可扭轉隨著年齡增長而導致的記憶力衰退。另一項研究在試驗優(yōu)質的可可是否能夠阻止心臟病和中風的發(fā)作。

Flavanols found in dark chocolate are known to increase blood flow in the part of the brain that controls memory. They also help prevent heart disease by lowering blood pressure and “bad” cholesterol.

黑巧克力中的黃烷醇有助于增進大腦內控制記憶的那部分神經(jīng)的血液流動。黃烷醇還能夠通過降低血壓和膽固醇來減少心臟病的發(fā)作。

A new study published online in Nature Neuroscience found that cocoa flavanols reverse minor memory loss in older adults. A company that makes chocolate helped to pay for the study.

在自然神經(jīng)學期刊上發(fā)表的最新研究發(fā)現(xiàn)可可黃烷醇能夠保留一些老年人的一小部分記憶。一家生產(chǎn)巧克力的公司贊助支持這項研究。

Can chocolate improve memory?

那巧克力能提高記憶力嗎？

Brain processes decrease as we age. By the time we reach our 50s and 60s we may have trouble remembering simple things such as the names of new people we meet or where we put our car keys.

隨著我們年齡的增長，大腦的思維過程會減退。我們到了五六十歲的時候，也許連記住別人的名字或者把鑰匙放在哪兒了這樣最簡單的記憶都會有問題。

Dr. Scott Small, Director of the Alzheimer's Disease Research Center at Columbia University

Dr. Scott Small is a professor of neurology at Columbia University in New York City. He is the lead writer of a research paper describing the effects of cocoa flavanols on brain activity.

斯格特博士是紐約市哥倫比亞大學神經(jīng)科的教授。他的研究論文表述了可可黃烷醇對大腦活動的影響。

The study involved 37 volunteers aged between 50 and 69. Researchers gave them a high-level flavanol drink made from cocoa beans or a low-level flavanol drink. For a period of three months, some subjects got 900milligrams of flavanol a day. The others got 10milligrams of flavanol each day.

這項研究有37位年紀在50歲到69歲不等的志愿者參與，研究者給他們來自可可豆中含量高的黃烷醇飲料和黃烷醇含量低的飲料。經(jīng)過三個月的試驗：一些人每天獲得900毫克的黃烷醇。而其它一些人每天攝入10毫克的黃烷醇。

Brain imaging and memory tests were given to each study subject before and after the study. Dr. Small says that the subjects who had the high-level flavanol drink showed much improvement on memory tests.

研究前后都會對測試者進行腦成像和記憶力測試。斯馬爾博士說喝黃烷醇含量高的飲料的人在記憶力測試中，記憶力有所提升。

Four-year study to dig deeper into healing powers of flavanol

四年的研究繼續(xù)深入探索黃烷醇的治療功效。

The researchers warn that more work is needed because this study was performed on a small group. Researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts recently announced plans to do just that.

研究者稱還需要繼續(xù)研究，因為這項研究只是針對一小部分人群。波士頓布里格姆女子醫(yī)院的研究者宣布一項計劃要擴大研究范圍。

Dr. JoAnn Manson is the lead researcher of a four-year study involving 18,000 adults. This study will use flavanol capsules.

約翰·曼森博士是這項研究的主管研究員，這項研究歷時四年，包括1萬8千個成人。研究會使用黃烷醇膠囊。

“This capsule of cocoa flavanols will avoid having the calories and the sugar and the saturated fat found in chocolate.”

“可可黃烷醇膠囊不含有巧克力中的卡路里、糖分和飽和脂肪。”

The study subjects will be divided into two groups and will take two pills a day. The capsules will all look the same. But, one group’s capsules will contain flavanols. The other group will take capsules made of an inactive substance, or placebo.

研究課題會分為兩組，每組一天會吃兩粒膠囊。兩粒膠囊看起來相似，實際上只有一個里面含有黃烷醇，而另一個里面的成分是非活性物質或者安慰劑。

Dr. Manson says that a person would have to eat ten times a normal amount to get the flavanols in just one flavanol pill.

馬爾森博士表示：實驗者吃一片黃烷醇膠囊所含的量是吃普通巧克力的十倍。

“The amount of chocolate that it would take in order to have this amount of cocoa flavanols would be more than ten times the amount that people would ordinarily eat.”

“為了獲得這種可可黃烷醇，人們需要食用的巧克力數(shù)量是正常人通常食用的10倍多。”

But Dr. Small says people should not necessarily start eating more chocolate. He says a person would have to eat a huge amount of chocolate to get the level of flavanol given to the test subjects. He also says many manufacturers remove the flavanols from their chocolate products.

然而，斯馬爾博士稱人們沒必要開始吃更多的巧克力，只有參與這次測試試驗的人可以多吃一些巧克力，獲取試驗所需的黃烷醇含量數(shù)據(jù)。但是，很多生產(chǎn)商把巧克力產(chǎn)品中的黃烷醇成分去掉。

Dr. Small says a cocoa-based flavanol extract may be developed in the future. He says that more studies are needed to see how much flavanol is good for human health.

斯馬爾博士說未來有可能會研發(fā)可可黃烷醇提取物，還需要更多的研究來試驗到底服用多少黃烷醇對人體有益。

I'm Anna Matteo.

我是安娜·馬特奧。

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Words in This Story

reverse – v. to cause (something, such as a process) to stop or return to an earlier state

cholesterol – n. a substance that is found in the bodies of people and animals

neurology – n. the scientific study of the nervous system especially in respect to its structure, functions, and abnormalities

capsule – n. a very small container that is filled with medicine and swallowed whole

placebo – n. a pill or substance that is given to a patient like a drug but that has no physical effect on the patient

extract – n. a substance that you get from something by using a machine or chemicals