減肥也有益於大腦 讓你更聰明

Losing weight is not only good for the waistline, it is good for the brain.
減肥不只有利於腰身，還對大腦有益。

Scientists say substantial weight loss improves cognitive functions like memory and concentration.
科學家稱大幅度減肥提高人的認知功能如記憶和集中性。

Researchers carried out tests on 150 volunteers, all weighing over 21 stone, and compared them with results from healthy people.
研究人員對150名體重超過21英石的志願者進行測試，並把研究結果跟健康人的結果做對比。

In some tests, including memory exams, almost a quarter of the overweight participants scored low enough to be considered learning disabled.
在一些測試中，包括記憶力測試，約有1/4肥胖參與者得分低到認爲有學習障礙。來源:恆星英語學習網

Many of them had additional health problems, such as high blood pressure, type two diabetes and sleep apnea.
他們當中許多有其他的健康問題，如高血壓，二型糖尿病和睡眠呼吸中止症。

After the initial round of testing, two-thirds of the volunteers had gastric bypass surgery to reduce the size of the stomach and lost an average of about 3st 8lbs.
經過第一回合的測試，2/3志願者進行胃繞道手術來減少胃的體積，平均約減少了3st 8lbs。

(恆星英語學習網原創編譯,轉載請註明出處!)After 12 weeks, they all took the tests again and the group that lost weight boosted their scores, particularly those involving memory, significantly. They also showed great improvement in organisational skills.
12周後，這些志願者再一次參加測試，而那些減了肥的人成績提高了，尤其是那些有關記憶的測試，成績明顯提高。他們在組織技巧方面也表現出巨大進步。

The 41 obese volunteers who declined the surgery ended up with even worse results.
41個肥胖志願者拒絕這個手術後，成績變得更差。

Professor John Gunstad, of Kent State University, Ohio, said the research showed obesity can damage the brain, ‘especially the parts most important for paying attention and learning new things’.
俄亥俄州科特州立大學的John Gunstad教授稱，研究表明肥胖會傷害大腦，“尤其是關注和學習新事物的最主要部分。”

In the study the researchers also used magnetic resonance imaging to see inside their subjects’ brains.
研究中，研究人員還利用磁共振成像技術來看測試者的大腦內部。

The obese subjects tended to have damage to a particular substance that surrounds and insulates nerve fibres in the brain, suggesting that substance is needed for optimal cognitive function.
肥胖患者容易破壞大腦中圍繞和隔離神經纖維的特殊物質，並表明是最佳認知功能所需要的物質。

(恆星英語學習網原創編譯,轉載請註明出處!)