揭祕:垃圾食品爲何讓你欲罷不能
科學家通過研究揭示了垃圾食品對健康的危害：因爲熱量超標的垃圾食品會破壞大腦中控制體重的細胞，並且有可能引發出現肥胖症。
The findings may explain why it is so hard for fat people to shift the pounds.
這項研究還解釋了爲何胖人想要甩掉幾斤肥肉是如此的困難。
Researchers fed rats what they described as a 'typical high-fat American diet' and found they had doubled their calorie intake three days later.
研究人員們用被稱爲是“非常典型的美式高熱量食物”來飼養小白鼠，並且發現白鼠在三天之後的熱量攝取量竟然增加了一倍。
Further study showed they also had an inflammation in the hypothalamus, the part of the brain containing neurons that control body weight.
進一步的研究表明，白鼠的大腦中的下丘腦出現了炎症的狀況，這部分大腦的神經元具有控制體重的功能。
This inflammation stopped a few days later but then recurred after four weeks.
這樣的炎症在幾天之後便消失了，不過在四周之後又再一次復發。
Lead researcher Dr Joshua Thaler, of the Diabetes and Obesity Centre of Excellence at the University of Washington in Seattle, said scientists also detected a healing response to brain injury called gliosis.
主導這項實驗的是來自於西雅圖華盛頓州立大學大學糖尿病與肥胖症研究中心的Joshua Thaler教授，他透露科學家還發現了一種應對這種傷害的復原機制，名叫膠質細胞增生。
He said: 'Gliosis is thought to be the brain equivalent of wound healing and is typically seen in conditions of neuronal injury, such as stroke and multiple sclerosis.
他說：“膠質細胞增生髮生在大腦中就相當於身體傷口的自動癒合，這種情況通常發生在出現神經元的損傷時，例如中風和多發性硬化症等等。”
Dr Thaler said: 'The possibility that brain injury may be a consequence of the over-consumption of a typical American diet offers a new explanation for why sustained weight loss is so difficult for most obese individuals to achieve.
Thaler教授說：“大腦的損傷可能是由於過量的攝入高熱量食物而造成的後果，這可能也解釋了對於胖人來說，減肥爲何會是如此的困難。”
'It is not yet clear whether this presumed neuronal injury is permanent, but it may contribute to weight gain.
“現在我們並不太清楚這種神經元的損傷是否是永久性的，不過這卻導致了體重的增加。”
'If new medicines can be designed that limit neuron injury during overeating, they may be effective in combating the obesity epidemic.'
“如果能研發一種應對在暴飲暴食的情況下阻止神經元免受傷害的藥物，那麼它將有利於避免肥胖的出現。”
