爲什麼地中海飲食是解決污染的方案?
You're worried about environmental pollution, yes? Want to offset the damage it can do? Simple. Switch to a Mediterranean diet. You know the one - mainly fruit and veg, whole grains, fish, eggs, lean meat, nuts, seeds and olive oil.
你擔心環境污染，對嗎？想不想抵消環境污染帶來的傷害？很簡單，吃地中海飲食就行了。你知道的--主要吃水果、蔬菜、全麥、魚、雞蛋、瘦肉、堅果、種子和橄欖油。Well, latest research from New York University on 548,699 people aged over 17 suggests it may be worth a try - it could make you five times less likely to die of pollution-related illnesses.
紐約大學近來對548699位17歲以上的受試者開展了研究，研究表明：地中海飲食值得一試--或能降低你死於與污染相關的疾病的風險，降低5倍。The research found that adults were more likely to die from heart attacks and heart disease if they were exposed to higher levels of pollution. But the increase in death rates was much less pronounced among adults who followed a Mediterranean diet.
研究發現，如果成年人接觸到更嚴重的污染，他們死於心力衰竭和心臟病的風險則更高。但對於遵循地中海飲食的人而言，死亡率的上升幅度要低得多。
For example, among adults who didn't follow such a diet, the death rate from heart disease increased by 10% for every 10 parts per billion increase in nitrogen dioxide they had been exposed to. But among those whose diet was very similar to a Mediterranean diet, the death rate only increased by 2% for every 10 parts per billion increase in nitrogen dioxide.
例如，在沒有遵循此種飲食的成年人中，他們接觸到的二氧化氮每增加十億分之十，他們患心臟病的風險就會增加10%。但對於遵循類似地中海飲食的成年人而言，他們接觸到的二氧化氮每增加十億分之十，他們患心臟病的風險只會增加2%。
Similarly, the death rate of heart disease increased by 17% for every 10 micrograms per cubic metre increase in particulate matter for adults who didn't follow a Mediterranean diet. But for adults who did, the death rate only increased by 5%. Air pollution is thought to trigger heart attacks and other health problems by causing inflammation and chemical imbalances.
同樣，對於沒有遵循地中海飲食的成年人而言，特定物質每增加10微克每立方米，他們死於心臟病的風險則增加17%。而對於遵循地中海飲食的成年人而言，他們死於心臟病的風險只增加5%。人們認爲，通過引發炎症和化學不平衡，空氣污染會引發心臟病和其它健康疾病。But researchers believe that anti-oxidants found in the fruit, vegetables and whole grains of a Mediterranean diet counteract this effect. Chris Lim, one of the researchers from the New York University School of Medicine, said: "Previous studies have shown that dietary changes, particularly the addition of antioxidants, can blunt the adverse effects of exposure to high levels of air pollution over short time periods.
但研究員認爲，地中海飲食中水果、蔬菜和全穀物含有的抗氧化劑能抵消這一作用。紐約大學醫學院的一位研究員Chris Lim說道："先前的研究已經表明飲食變化，尤其是抗氧化劑的增加，能減少短時間內暴露於受空氣嚴重污染情況所帶來的不利影響。""What we did not know was whether diet can influence the association between long-term air pollution exposure and health effects." Turns out it can - and the results were recently presented at the American Thoracic Society's annual conference in San Diego, California.
"但我們尚不清楚此種飲食是否能影響長時間暴露於空氣污染的情況。"事實證明可以--且研究成果已在加利福尼亞州聖地亞哥舉行的美國胸科協會年會上展示。
