吃蘋果皮可強健肌肉 竟有減肥功效
An apple a day really could keep the doctor away – as long as you don’t throw away the peel.
有這樣一句諺語：一日一蘋果，醫生遠離我，常吃蘋果的確有益健康，不過前提是得連皮一塊兒吃掉。
The chemical behind the apple skin’s waxy shine is being credited with a host of health benefits from building muscle to keeping the lid on weight. Ursolic acid also keeps cholesterol and blood sugar under control, meaning an apple a day could do wonders for all-round health.
蘋果表皮之所以具有蠟質的光澤全因其含有的某種元素，該成分有益於強健人體肌肉，並且維持健康體重。這種名爲熊果酸的物質同時還可以控制膽固醇和血糖水平，這便可以解釋“一日一蘋果”所造就的“健康奇蹟”。
Researcher Christopher Adams said: ‘Ursolic acid is an interesting natural compound. It’s part of a normal diet as a component of apple peels.
研究者克里斯托弗·亞當斯說：“熊果酸是一種非常有趣的天然化合物，它不僅是蘋果皮中所含有的物質，同時也是人們每日健康飲食的一部分。”
The importance of apple peel was discovered after Dr Adams, a U.S. expert in how hormones affect the body, set out to find a drug that stops muscles from wasting, keeping pensioners strong as they age and cutting their risk of hard-to-heal fractures.
亞當斯博士在一項研究減緩肌肉萎縮並保持其強健性，同時避免骨折後癒合困難的試驗中意外發現了蘋果皮的重要性。
He said: ‘Muscle wasting is a frequent companion of illness and ageing.
他說：“疾病和衰老常常伴隨着肌肉萎縮的發生。”
‘It prolongs hospitalisation, delays recoveries and in some cases prevents people from going back home. It isn’t well understood and there’s no medicine for it.’
“這會延長病人的住院時間，減慢身體恢復健康的速度，使得病人們很難回到正常的生活中。這並不太好理解，同時也沒有藥可以醫治。”
In order to remedy the situation, Dr Adams, of the University of Iowa, studied the genetic changes that occur when muscles waste or atrophy. He checked a pool of 1,300 chemicals for one that would counter the changes – and hit on ursolic acid.
爲了扭轉這樣的情況，來自愛荷華州大學的亞當斯教授開始研究了肌肉萎縮的遺傳變異。 他在先後研究1300種化學元素之後，他發現了熊果酸。
It is particularly concentrated in apple peel but is also found in cranberries and prunes and in basil, oregano and thyme.
熊果素主要存在於蘋果皮之中，同時也可以在小紅莓、梅子、花椒葉和麝香草中找到。
