Eat your broccoli¹, it's good for you. More specifically--and not incidentally if you live in China--it can apparently² help your body better deal with air pollution.

吃西兰花吧，它有益于身体健康。如果在中国生活的话，更要吃西兰花了，因为西兰花可以提高机体应对空气污染的能力。

According to a study published this week by the journal Cancer Prevention Research, an experiment conducted in eastern China's Jiangsu province found that feeding villagers beverages³ concocted⁴ from broccoli sprouts⁵ had various salutary effects, including helping⁶ the body to more speedily eliminate ingested air pollutants⁷. The study was conducted by researchers from John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, as well as the University of Minnesota's Masonic Cancer Center, among others.

癌症预防研究》(Cancer Prevention Research)期刊本周发布的一项研究称，在中国东部江苏省进行的一项试验发现，让村民饮用西兰花芽调制的饮料好处多多，其中包括帮助身体更迅速地排除吸入的空气污染物。这项试验是由约翰霍普金斯大学彭博公共卫生学院(John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health)和明尼苏达大学(University of Minnesota)的共济会癌症中心(Masonic Cancer Center)的研究人员共同实施的。

The beverage--essentially a tea made out of boiled sprouts--was provided daily for 12 weeks to 291 adults as part of a randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial. Study participants were drawn⁸ from the rural township of Hehe in the Yangtze River delta⁹ region, an area researchers chose in part because of its heavy levels of air pollution, something that they say is associated with a higher risk for lung and heart disease. Though the delta region, which includes Shanghai, comprises just 2% of China's total area, it contributes at least 15% of its countrywide greenhouse gas emissions¹⁰, they note.

这种饮料本质上是由煮熟的西兰花芽所制成的一种茶。作为这项随机的安慰剂对照临床试验的一部分，291名成年人连续12周每日饮用这种茶。参与试验的人来自长江三角洲地区的和合镇。研究人员之所以选择该镇进行试验是因为当地污染严重，研究人员称肺病及心脏疾病的患病率上升与环境污染有关。他们称，虽然长江三角洲的面积只占中国总面积的2%，但温室气体排放量却至少占到了全国温室气体排放量的15%。

Can diet really help change your susceptibility to pollution? According to researchers, eating broccoli sprouts 'enhances the detoxication of some airborne pollutants and may provide a frugal¹¹ means to attenuate¹² their associated long-term health risks.'

饮食真的可以改变机体受污染影响的程度吗?研究人员称，吃西兰花芽可以提高机体对某些空气污染物的解毒能力，这或许可以提供一种廉价的方式，用来降低居民面临的长期健康风险。

That said, it's obviously no cure-all for those living under China's smoggy skies. 'The ultimate answer [to China's pollution] lies in Beijing with the policymakers,' said Thomas Kensler, who holds professorships at John Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health as well as the University of Pittsburgh and was the leader of the study.

但话又说回来，对于生活在中国雾霾空气中的人们，显然并不存在解决这一问题的灵丹妙药。肯斯勒(Thomas Kensler)说，中国污染问题的最终解决办法掌握在决策者手中。肯斯勒是约翰霍普金斯大学彭博公共卫生学院和匹兹堡大学(University of Pittsburgh)的教授，也是本次试验的负责人。

Still, Mr. Kensler said he is hopeful that more research can help further explore the ways diet might be able to help people strengthen their resistance to pollution. 'We think this can contribute to potential solutions,' he said.

不过肯斯勒表示，希望更多研究可以进一步探索利用饮食抵抗污染的方式。他说，他们认为这有助于找到潜在解决办法。

If you're not someone who keeps a ready supply of broccoli sprouts at home, Mr. Kensler notes that regular broccoli sold at supermarkets also contains the key molecule¹³, sulforaphane, though in considerably¹⁴ lower quantities. 'The more bitter your broccoli, perhaps the better,' he said, adding that one would have to consume roughly 150 grams of broccoli in order to consume the same amount of sulforaphane contained in three grams of broccoli sprouts.

肯斯勒指出，如果没有西兰花芽，超市里卖的西兰花也含有这种关键的物质萝卜硫素，不过含量相对较低。他说，西兰花越苦，萝卜硫素含量越高。他还说，大约150克西兰花中所含的萝卜硫素才与3克西兰花芽中的含量相当。

The study wasn't without its mild hiccups¹⁵: according to the paper, 'unacceptable taste and mild stomach discomfort¹⁶ were the common complaints.' Researchers said the addition of pineapple juice and lime juice, though, helped mask some of the less appealing aspects of the broccoli flavor.

但这项研究成果也有不足之处。研究报告称，饮用者普遍抱怨这种茶口感不好，饮用后胃部略感不适。研究人员称，在茶中加入菠萝汁和青柠汁可以遮盖一部分西兰花芽的味道。