轻松背单词新浪微博 轻松背单词腾讯微博
轻松背单词微信服务号
当前位置:首页 -> 10级英语阅读 - > 成年人可以通过增加婴儿脂肪来减肥
成年人可以通过增加婴儿脂肪来减肥
添加时间:2014-07-21 20:15:47 浏览次数: 作者:未知
Tip:点击数字可快速查看单词解释  
  • In the quest to fight obesity1, scientists are looking at an intriguing2 question: Is it possible for adults to lose weight by having more baby fat?

    Babies have lots of brown adipose3 tissue, or brown fat, so called because of its color. It is critical to the body's heat production. Unlike white fat cells, which store energy from the food we eat, brown fat consumes calories to generate heat. Revving4 up this process, research has shown, may help us grow leaner by burning more of the white fat.

    Until recently, experts believed that only babies and children had brown fat, to help keep them warm before their young bodies develop techniques like shivering to help them cope with cold temperatures. A discovery last year that adults still have at least some brown fat has spawned5 hope among scientists and drug developers that the calorie-burning tissue may provide one solution to curbing6 obesity.

    Researchers at Harvard Medical School have identified a protein in the body that appears to spur production of brown fat, including by converting some white fat cells into brown ones, and are now working to develop a drug that would encourage that process. They expect their work could lead to a new approach to treating obesity within a few years.

    Other researchers are seeking ways to prompt the brown fat we already have to become more active, thereby7 prompting our bodies to generate more heat and consume more calories. One technique being investigated: exposing people to colder temperatures, which appears to trigger brown fat to turn up the body's heat.

    Brown fat is able to burn calories because of the cells' abundance of mitochondria, the engines of the cellular8 world. White fat cells, by contrast, are like fat-filled balloons that store energy and help insulate the body.

    Brown fat is thought to have evolved to protect babies and children from hypothermia. Babies and smaller organisms are at greater risk because they tend to cool more easily than adults. And, in prehistoric9 times, once people became adults, the more important issue wasn't keeping warm, it was to make sure they had enough energy stored to survive times without food. But today, with food so plentiful10, white fat cells' energy-storage ability has led to obesity as a significant public health issue.

    Wouter van Marken Lichtenbelt, a professor of human biology at the Maastricht University Medical Centre in the Netherlands, estimates that boosting the body's heat-generating ability, a process known as thermogenesis, could help people burn as much as 5% to 10% additional calories. 'That can be a lot,' he says. However, whether we lose weight or not depends on whether we overcompensate by eating more food. 'We shouldn't eat too much,' he says.

    Researchers at various institutions are seeking ways to increase the body's heat-generating ability by taking advantage of the fact that brown fat is activated12 by the cold. Studies with obese13 mice show that putting them in the cold for a few days activates14 their heat-production system significantly. Within a week, an obese mouse could burn off half of its white fat, even while eating 1.5 times as much as it normally does, according to Leslie Kozak, a professor of molecular15 genetics at Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton16 Rouge17, La. 'This is a very powerful system,' Dr. Kozak says.

    While there are data showing that people who live in colder climates tend to be leaner than people from warmer places, losing weight isn't as easy as taking a vacation in Alaska, for example. For one thing, people often compensate11 in colder environments by eating more; a similar phenomenon occurs when people begin to exercise more and their metabolism18 speeds up. It's also unclear how long people need to be exposed to cold in order to boost their heat generation.

    Dr. Kozak has been investigating whether activation19 of brown fat can be increased through training people to better tolerate the cold. The idea here is that if people get used to cold, it's because their internal furnace is working better, he says.

    Dr. Kozak says it's unclear how much cooler an environment needs to be to increase brown fat's activity level. He says he would like to test whether a school classroom, for instance, set at 65 degrees, a few degrees below normal, could increase heat generation in the students' bodies.

    在与肥胖作斗争的探索过程中,科学家正面对一个有趣的问题:成年人是否可以通过增加婴儿脂肪来减肥?

    婴儿有大量的褐色脂肪组织,这个名称是因其颜色而得名的。褐色脂肪组织对身体产生热量很重要。与存贮从饮食中吸取的能量的白色脂肪细胞不同,褐色脂肪消耗热量而产热。研究发现,这个过程若加速,可能有助于人类通过燃烧更多白色脂肪而变瘦。

    直到最近,专家还相信只有婴幼儿有褐色脂肪,以使其年幼的躯体在具有打寒战等技能以驱寒前使身体保暖。而去年的一项发现表明,成年人仍有很少一部分褐色脂肪,这给了科学家及药品研发者一种希望,即热量燃烧组织可能提供一种方式来遏制肥胖。

    哈佛大学医学院(Harvard Medical School)的研究者已确定人体内的一种蛋白似乎可刺激褐色脂肪的产生,包括将某些白色脂肪细胞转化为褐色脂肪。他们正在研制一种可激发这种过程的药品,并希望这项工作能在几年内带来治疗肥胖的新方法。

    另一些研究者正在设法使人体已有的褐色脂肪活动得更为积极,由此使人体产生更多热量、消耗更多热能。正在被研究的一项技术是,将人们置身于温度更低的环境内,这似乎能引发人体内褐色脂肪消耗掉人体内的热量。

    褐色脂肪能燃烧热量是因为这种细胞内富含线粒体这种分子世界的发动机。而白色脂肪细胞,却像充满了脂肪的气球,贮存着能量并对人体有隔离保暖作用。

    褐色脂肪的进化功能据信是保护婴幼儿免于体温过低。婴儿及小型有机体因比成年人更易冷却因而面临体温过低风险更大。在史前时期,人们一旦成年,最重要的事并非保暖,而是确保贮存充足的能源以在缺乏食物时得以存活。但今天,因食物非常充足,白脂肪细胞的能量贮存功能已导致肥胖成为一个显著的公共健康问题。

    荷兰马斯特里赫特大学医学中心(Maastricht University Medical Centre)的人体生物学教授李赫腾贝尔特(Wouter van Marken Lichtenbelt)估计,增加人体的产热能力(这一过程称为生热),有助于人体额外燃烧5%至10%的热能。他说,这个量很大。但体重是否能下降还决取于是否会吃更多的食物造成补偿过度。他认为人们不应吃得太多。

    既然褐色脂肪通过寒冷激活,各机构的研究者就利用这个事实来寻求增加人体产热能力的办法。路易斯安那州立大学Pennington 生物医学研究中心(Pennington Biomedical Research Center)的分子遗传学教授科扎比(Leslie Kozak)对肥胖老鼠的研究显示,将老鼠放到寒冷的环境里过几天,其体内的产热系统就明显激活。在一周内,一个肥胖的老鼠可燃烧掉其体内一半的白脂肪,即便在此期间它的食量是平常的1.5倍。他说,这个产热系统非常强大。

    尽管数据显示生活在气候寒冷地区的人往往比温暖地区的人瘦,但要想在阿拉斯加度个假来减肥可并不容易。原因之一,寒冷环境中人们通常吃得更多而补偿过度;当人们开始加强锻炼而新陈代谢加速时也是同样。还有一点是,不清楚要在寒冷环境中待多久才能增加人体产热。

    科扎比一直在研究,是否可通过训练人体更耐寒来增强褐色脂肪的活动。他说,这种想法是基于这种理念,如果人体习惯于寒冷,是因为其内部热能燃烧机制运作得更好。

    科扎比说,尚不清楚周围环境需要冷却多少才能增加褐色脂肪的活动水平。他说,他要进行一个测试,比方说,学校的一间教室,设在比正常温度略低几度的18.3摄氏度,是否会增加学生体内产生的热量。

     10级    双语 


    点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

    1 obesity [əʊ'bi:sətɪ] Dv1ya   第8级
    n.肥胖,肥大
    参考例句:
    • One effect of overeating may be obesity. 吃得过多能导致肥胖。
    • Sugar and fat can more easily lead to obesity than some other foods. 糖和脂肪比其他食物更容易导致肥胖。
    2 intriguing [ɪnˈtri:gɪŋ] vqyzM1   第7级
    adj.有趣的;迷人的v.搞阴谋诡计(intrigue的现在分词);激起…的好奇心
    参考例句:
    • These discoveries raise intriguing questions. 这些发现带来了非常有趣的问题。
    • It all sounds very intriguing. 这些听起来都很有趣。 来自《简明英汉词典》
    3 adipose [ˈædɪpəʊs] cJayQ   第11级
    adj.脂肪质的,脂肪多的;n.(储于脂肪组织中的)动物脂肪;肥胖
    参考例句:
    • The color of unilocular adipose tissue varies from white to dark yellow. 单房性脂肪组织的颜色从白色到暗黄色不等.
    • Adipose tissue is seen in a regular histological section. 组织切片可见脂肪组织。
    4 revving [revɪŋ] bfb383654012624060e6af7a2c5dfba0   第11级
    v.(使)加速( rev的现在分词 );(数量、活动等)激增;(使发动机)快速旋转;(使)活跃起来
    参考例句:
    • The team are revving up for next week's game. 这个队伍对下周的比赛跃跃欲试。 来自《简明英汉词典》
    • Since the introduction of new techniques, the production has been revving up. 自从新技术的引进,产量一直都在增加。 来自互联网
    5 spawned [s'pɔ:nd] f3659a6561090f869f5f32f7da4b950e   第9级
    (鱼、蛙等)大量产(卵)( spawn的过去式和过去分词 ); 大量生产
    参考例句:
    • The band's album spawned a string of hit singles. 这支乐队的专辑繁衍出一连串走红的单曲唱片。
    • The computer industry has spawned a lot of new companies. 由于电脑工业的发展,许多新公司纷纷成立。
    6 curbing ['kɜ:bɪŋ] 8c36e8e7e184a75aca623e404655efad   第7级
    n.边石,边石的材料v.限制,克制,抑制( curb的现在分词 )
    参考例句:
    • Progress has been made in curbing inflation. 在控制通货膨胀方面已取得了进展。
    • A range of policies have been introduced aimed at curbing inflation. 为了抑制通货膨胀实施了一系列的政策。
    7 thereby [ˌðeəˈbaɪ] Sokwv   第8级
    adv.因此,从而
    参考例句:
    • I have never been to that city, thereby I don't know much about it. 我从未去过那座城市,因此对它不怎么熟悉。
    • He became a British citizen, thereby gaining the right to vote. 他成了英国公民,因而得到了投票权。
    8 cellular [ˈseljələ(r)] aU1yo   第7级
    adj.移动的;细胞的,由细胞组成的
    参考例句:
    • She has a cellular telephone in her car. 她的汽车里有一部无线通讯电话机。
    • Many people use cellular materials as sensitive elements in hygrometers. 很多人用蜂窝状的材料作为测量湿度的传感元件。
    9 prehistoric [ˌpri:hɪˈstɒrɪk] sPVxQ   第8级
    adj.(有记载的)历史以前的,史前的,古老的
    参考例句:
    • They have found prehistoric remains. 他们发现了史前遗迹。
    • It was rather like an exhibition of prehistoric electronic equipment. 这儿倒像是在展览古老的电子设备。
    10 plentiful [ˈplentɪfl] r2izH   第7级
    adj.富裕的,丰富的
    参考例句:
    • Their family has a plentiful harvest this year. 他们家今年丰收了。
    • Rainfall is plentiful in the area. 这个地区雨量充足。
    11 compensate [ˈkɒmpenseɪt] AXky7   第7级
    vt.补偿,赔偿;酬报 vi.弥补;补偿;抵消
    参考例句:
    • She used her good looks to compensate her lack of intelligence. 她利用她漂亮的外表来弥补智力的不足。
    • Nothing can compensate for the loss of one's health. 一个人失去了键康是不可弥补的。
    12 activated ['æktɪveɪtɪd] c3905c37f4127686d512a7665206852e   第7级
    adj. 激活的 动词activate的过去式和过去分词
    参考例句:
    • The canister is filled with activated charcoal.蒸气回收罐中充满了活性炭。
    13 obese [əʊˈbi:s] uvIya   第8级
    adj.过度肥胖的,肥大的
    参考例句:
    • The old man is really obese, it can't be healthy. 那位老人确实过于肥胖了,不能算是健康。
    • Being obese and lazy is dangerous to health. 又胖又懒危害健康。
    14 activates [ˈæktiveits] 78ec2b8b23e0120508757d953f1013d1   第7级
    使活动,起动,触发( activate的第三人称单数 )
    参考例句:
    • Activates the window and displays it in its current size and position. 激活窗口,保持当前的大小及位置不变。
    • Pulling out the alarm switch activates alarm and pushing it deactivates it. 闹钟的开和关是通过拔出和按入闹铃开关实现的。
    15 molecular [mə'lekjələ(r)] mE9xh   第9级
    adj.分子的;克分子的
    参考例句:
    • The research will provide direct insight into molecular mechanisms. 这项研究将使人能够直接地了解分子的机理。
    • For the pressure to become zero, molecular bombardment must cease. 当压强趋近于零时,分子的碰撞就停止了。
    16 baton ['bætɒn] 5Quyw   第10级
    n.乐队用指挥杖
    参考例句:
    • With the baton the conductor was beating time. 乐队指挥用指挥棒打拍子。
    • The conductor waved his baton, and the band started up. 指挥挥动指挥棒,乐队开始演奏起来。
    17 rouge [ru:ʒ] nX7xI   第10级
    n.胭脂,口红唇膏;v.(在…上)擦口红
    参考例句:
    • Women put rouge on their cheeks to make their faces pretty. 女人往面颊上涂胭脂,使脸更漂亮。
    • She didn't need any powder or lip rouge to make her pretty. 她天生漂亮,不需要任何脂粉唇膏打扮自己。
    18 metabolism [məˈtæbəlɪzəm] 171zC   第8级
    n.新陈代谢
    参考例句:
    • After years of dieting, Carol's metabolism was completely out of whack. 经过数年的节食,卡罗尔的新陈代谢完全紊乱了。
    • All living matter undergoes a process of metabolism. 生物都有新陈代谢。
    19 activation [ˌæktɪ'veɪʃn] 24eed33ee38027d124839f0fcdf6adcb   第7级
    n. 激活,催化作用
    参考例句:
    • A computer controls the activation of an air bag.电脑控制着气囊的启动。

    文章评论 共有评论 0查看全部

      会员登陆
      热门单词标签
    我的单词印象
    我的理解: