研究發現 肚子越大腦子越小

Belly fat has long been thought to be particularly bad for your heart, but now, a new study adds more evidence to the idea that it may also be bad for your brain.

長期以來，人們都認爲腹部肥胖對心臟特別不好，但現在一項新研究提出的新證據表明，它可能還對你的大腦有害。

The study, from the United Kingdom, found that people who were obese and had a high waist-to-hip ratio (a measure of belly fat) had slightly lower brain volumes, on average, compared with people who were a healthy weight.

英國的這項研究發現，肥胖者以及腰臀比（腹部脂肪衡量指標）高的人比起那些體重健康的人來說，平均的腦容量要稍微小一些。

Specifically, belly fat was linked with lower volumes of gray matter, the brain tissue that contains nerve cells.

具體來說，腹部肥胖和腦灰質含量低有關。腦灰質是含有神經細胞的腦組織。

"Our research looked at a large group of people and found obesity, specifically around the middle, may be linked with brain shrinkage," lead study author Mark Hamer, a professor at Loughborough University's School of Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences in Leicestershire, England, said in a statement.

該研究報告的第一作者、英國萊斯特郡拉夫堡大學的運動、鍛鍊及健康科學學院的教授馬克·哈默爾在一項聲明中表示：“我們的研究調查了一大羣人，然後發現肥胖，尤其是腰腹部肥胖，可能和腦部萎縮有關。”

Lower brain volume, or brain shrinkage, has been linked with an increased risk of memory decline and dementia.

該研究指出，腦容量更小，或者說是腦部萎縮，和記憶衰退以及癡呆的風險增加有關聯。

The new findings, published Jan. 9 in the journal Neurology, suggest that the combination of obesity (as measured by body mass index, or BMI) and a high waist-to-hip ratio may be a risk factor for brain shrinkage, the researchers said.

這些新發現1月9日發表在《神經學》期刊上。研究指出，肥胖加上高腰臀比可能是腦部萎縮的一個風險因素。研究人員通過身體質量指數來衡量一個人是否肥胖。

However, the study found only an association between belly fat and lower brain volume, and cannot prove that carrying more fat around the waist actually causes brain shrinkage.

不過，這項研究只是發現了腹部脂肪和腦容量小之間的關聯，並不能證明肚子上的肉會導致腦部萎縮。

It could be that people with lower volumes of gray matter in certain brain areas are at a higher risk of obesity. Future studies are needed to tease out the reasons for the link.

也可能是腦部特定區域灰質較少的人更容易肥胖。要梳理出這個關聯的前因後果，還需進行更多研究。