It’s no secret that the car engine and factory fumes we breathe in everyday are seriously harmful to our brains and bodies. A wealth of scientific evidence shows that those of us living in cities, exposed to high levels of air pollution throughout our lifetime, have an increased risk of heart disease, stroke, cancer and even mental health problems.
众所周知，我们每天吸入的汽车尾气和工厂废气对我们的大脑和身体都有严重的危害。大量的科学证据表明，我们这些生活在城市里的人，一生中都暴露在高水平的空气污染之中，而这也导致我们患心脏病、中风、癌症甚至精神健康问题的几率增加。
In fact, Britons are 64 times more likely to die from pollution-related illnesses than people living in Sweden, where the air is cleaner.
事实上，据有关数据统计，相比居住在空气清洁国度的瑞典人，英国人死于与污染相关疾病的几率高达瑞典人的64倍。
But now, intriguing new research reveals that aside from making us sick, toxins are also to blame for making us fat.
而现在又有一项新的有趣的研究表明，空气污染不仅会让我们生病，还会使我们变胖。
Researchers from the University of California followed more than 2,300 American children from early childhood and discovered that, by the age of ten, youngsters exposed to the highest amount of traffic pollution were, on average, more than 2lb heavier than children breathing cleaner air.
美国加利福尼亚大学的研究人员通过对2300多名美国儿童的跟踪调查发现，10岁的儿童中，在幼年时经历过严重交通污染的孩子与呼吸着干净空气的孩子相比，平均体重多重2磅。
Crucially, scans of childrens’lungs showed heavier children, living in more polluted areas, had significantly more signs of physical lung damage.
最重要的是，通过对这些儿童进行肺部扫描发现，生活在污染较严重地区的儿童除了体重偏重之外，肺部也有损伤迹象。
Could it be that we are unknowingly piling on the pounds every day... simply by breathing?
那是不是我们每天只要呼吸就会不知不觉的长胖呢?
Scientists believe that breathing in irritant particles – from traffic fumes to cigarette smoke – triggers a cascade of inflammatory reactions in the body.
科学家们认为，吸入交通烟雾、香烟烟雾中的刺激性微粒会引发身体的一系列炎症。
First, pollutants irritate the tiny air sacs in the lungs, setting off a stress response that involves the release of hormones. These reduce the body’s ability to absorb energy (or glucose) from food, leaving blood sugar levels uncontrolled. When blood sugar levels are unstable, fluctuations in appetite increase, making us more likely to over-eat.
首先，污染物刺激肺部微小的气囊，引起应激反应，使激素释放，进而降低身体从食物中吸收能量(或葡萄糖)的能力，失去对血糖水平的控制。当血糖水平不稳定时，就会刺激人的食欲，从而可能引发过度进食。
Pollutants also trigger the release of molecules called ‘cytokines’ which send the immune system into overdrive, causing inflammation in the brain and body.
污染物还会刺激“细胞因子”的释放，这些分子会使免疫系统过度工作，从而引发大脑和身体的炎症。
Mice studies have shown that this brain inflammation can also lead to over-eating.
研究人员通过对小白鼠进行试验发现，这种脑部炎症也会导致暴饮暴食。 (责任编辑：admin) |