研究顯示 柑橘類水果可預防肥胖所致疾病

Eating citrus fruit could head off chronic diseases that are related to obesity, a growing health problem in many parts of the world, according to a new study.

一項最新研究表明，食用柑橘類水果，可以防治肥胖這一在世界各地越來越嚴重的健康問題所引發的慢性疾病。

Diabetes, heart disease and liver disease are increasing as more people pack on the kilos. But there's a substance in citrus fruits called flavanones, which are antioxidants that help people's bodies reduce the amount of oxidative stress.

隨着越來越多的人們發胖，糖尿病、心臟病和肝病的風險也越來越高。但是柑橘類水果中有一種叫作類黃酮的物質，是一種可以幫助人體減少氧化壓力的抗氧化物。

The diseases linked to obesity are caused by oxidative stress and its related inflammation.

與發胖有關的疾病都是由氧化壓力及其引發的炎症引起的。

When humans consume a fatty diet, their fat cells produce reactive oxygen species that harm cells.

當人們攝入了過多的脂肪，脂肪細胞就會產生一種活性氧自由基，對細胞有損害。

When fat cells become too large, which they do in obese individuals, they produce higher levels of reactive oxygen species that overwhelm the body, causing inflammation and disease.

當脂肪細胞變得很大的時候，也就是人們變胖的時候，它們產生的活性氧自由基就超出了人體可以承受的範圍，就會引發炎症和疾病。

Researchers say antioxidants found in fruits and vegetables, such as citrus flavanones, help fight reactive oxygen species and reduce oxidative stress in animals that eat a high fat diet.

研究人員表示，抗氧化物廣泛存在於蔬菜和水果中，比如柑橘類水果中的類黃酮，可以幫助攝入高脂肪的動物對抗活性氧自由基並減輕氧化壓力。

Paula Ferreira, a graduate researcher at the Universidade Estadual Paulist in Brazil conducted the research. The month-long experiment by Ferreira and colleagues involved 50 mice, feeding them either a normal diet, a high fat diet, or a high fat diet with three flavanones.

寶拉·費雷拉是巴西聖保羅州立大學正在進行這項研究的研究生。費雷拉和同事們開展的這項研究長達一個月，觀察了50只老鼠，分別餵它們吃正常的食物、高脂肪的食物以及含有三份類黃酮的高脂肪食物。

Investigators found the mice that ate a high fat diet, but no flavanones, had significantly higher levels of cell damage, than mice that ate a normal diet

研究人員發現，吃高脂肪食物的老鼠，其細胞損害程度比吃正常食物的老鼠高出很多。

Mice on the high fat died had 80 percent more cell damage markers in their blood and 57 percent in the liver compared to rodents fed a normal diet, report researchers.

研究人員報告稱，與吃正常食物的老鼠相比，吃高脂肪食物的老鼠血液中細胞損害的標誌物達到了80%多，肝臟損害達到了57%。

But mice fed a high fat diet plus the three flavanones - hesperidin, eriocitrin and eriodictyol - had a reduction in cell damage markers compared to mice on a standard diet.

但是吃含有三份類黃酮的高脂肪食物的老鼠——桔皮苷、聖草次苷和聖草酚——血液中細胞損害的標誌物與吃正常食物的老鼠相比，卻少了很多。

Reductions in the liver ranged from 50 to 64 percent depending upon the flavanone given compared to those on a high fat diet alone.

視類黃酮的分量而定，肝臟損害照比只吃高脂肪食物的老鼠，減少了50%-64%。

“Our results indicate that in the future, we can use citrus flavanones, a class of antioxidants, to prevent or delay chronic diseases caused by obesity in humans,” said Ferreira.

費雷拉說道：“我們的研究結果顯示，我們在未來可以使用柑橘類黃酮——抗氧化物的一種，來預防或者延緩因爲人體超重而引起的慢性疾病。”

Investigators next plan to conduct human studies, to see whether it's healthier to give citrus flavanones in juice or pill form, or whether they have the same effect.

研究人員接下來希望在人體上進行試驗，看看類黃酮是用果汁還是用膠囊的形式比較好吸收，也可能二者功效是一樣的。