Certain Junk Foods Could Be Messing With Your Brain’s Appetite Control, Study Finds

研究：某些垃圾食物可能擾亂大腦的食慾控制

【摘要2020.4.27.自由】◎陳成良

Emerging evidence in humans suggests a typically Western high-fat, high-sugar ’junk food’ diet can quickly undermine your brain’s appetite control.

在人類中新發現的證據顯示，含有高脂高糖「垃圾食物」的典型西方飲食，可以快速破壞大腦對食慾的控制。

After indulging in a week-long binge of waffles, milkshakes and similarly rich foods, researchers in Australia found young and healthy volunteers scored worse on memory tests and experienced a greater desire to eat junk food, even when they were already full.

狂吃鬆餅、奶昔和類似的高脂食物一週後，澳洲研究人員發現，年輕健康的志願者在記憶力測試中成績欠佳，而且對垃圾食物更有食慾，甚至在吃飽之後還想吃。

The findings suggest something is amiss in the hippocampus - a region of the brain that supports memory and helps to regulate appetite. When we are full, the hippocampus is thought to quieten down our memories of delicious food, thereby reducing our appetite.

研究結果顯示問題出在海馬體，這個區域在大腦中支援記憶力，協助調節食慾。我們吃飽之後，海馬體被認為會使美食記憶不再活躍，從而降低食慾。

When it’s disrupted, this control can be seriously undermined.

當海馬體受到擾亂，對食慾的控制也會受到嚴重破壞。

Over the years, extensive research on juvenile mice has found the function of the hippocampus is very sensitive to ’junk food’ , but this has only recently been observed in young and healthy humans.

近年來對幼鼠進行的廣泛研究發現，海馬體對「垃圾食物」很敏感，但最近才在年輕健康的人群中發現這一問題。

新聞辭典

indulge︰動詞，沉迷、放縱自己。例句：The prince indulged in luxury.（王子奢靡無度。）

binge：狂飲作樂、不醉不歸，亦可指過度、無節制的耽溺行為，例如：a buying binge（瘋狂購物），或強迫性的飲食，例如︰binge eating（暴食）。

amiss︰形容詞或副詞，指有錯的、不妥的，take amiss意指因…而見怪；例句︰I hope that you will not take it amiss if I poke some fun.（如果我開個玩笑，希望你不要見怪。）