Losing weight is not only good for the waistline, it is good for the brain。

保持健康的体重不仅能让你拥有苗条的腹部线条，同时还有益于你的大脑。

Scientists say substantial weight loss improves cognitive¹ functions like memory and concentration。

科学家们发现，减去多余的体重的将提高大脑的工作能力，比如说更加良好记忆与集中力。

Researchers carried out tests on 150 volunteers, all weighing over 21 stone, and compared them with results from healthy people。

研究人员研究了150名体重超过21英石(约133公斤)的人员的各方面数据，并将之与健康人群的数值相比较。

In some tests, including memory exams, almost a quarter of the overweight participants scored low enough to be considered learning disabled。

在某些例如记忆力的测试中，近四分之一的体重超重者得分低到了基本可以被评价为“有学习障碍”。

Many of them had additional health problems, such as high blood pressure, type two diabetes² and sleep apnea。

他们其中的很多人还有附加的健康问题，比如所高血压和二型睡眠呼吸暂停等。

After the initial round of testing, two-thirds of the volunteers had gastric³ bypass surgery to reduce the size of the stomach and lost an average of about 3st 8lbs。

在经过第一轮的测试之后，有三分之二的受测人员进行了胃绕道手术，以减小腹部，并减轻体重。

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周之后，所有人又再一次的接受了测试，体重减轻组的得分有明显的体重，特别是在记忆力方面表现得尤为突出。同时他们在组织能力方面也表现出了很大的提高。

The 41 obese⁴ volunteers who declined the surgery ended up with even worse results。

然而那些没有进行手术的受测的成绩则更加糟糕。

Professor John Gunstad, of Kent State University, Ohio, said the research showed obesity⁵ can damage the brain, ‘especially the parts most important for paying attention and learning new things’。

俄亥俄州的John Gunstad称，这份研究报表现实了肥胖对于大脑所造成的伤害，“特别是对于那些关乎集中注意力以及学习新事物的大脑部分，影响更深。”

In the study the researchers also used magnetic resonance⁶ imaging to see inside their subjects’ brains。

试验中，研究人员运动核磁共振成像技术在检测受测者得大脑活动情形。

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 optimal⁷ cognitive function。

肥胖的受测者们较容易使得包围并隔离大脑中的神经纤维的物质所受到伤害，而这一部分物质则利于优化大脑的认知功能。