Being overweight in middle-age makes the brain age by 10 years, research by the University of Cambridge has found.

据剑桥大学的一项研究发现，中年肥胖者的大脑会比他们实际年龄老10岁。

The study, which scanned 473 brains, found changes in the brain structure of overweight people which are normally seen in those far older.

通过对473个人进行脑部扫描，这项研究发现，超重人士，尤其是那些年老人士的大脑结构有所变化。

The volume of white matter - the tissue that connects areas of the brain and allows information to be communicated between regions - shrunk far more in those with a Body Mass Index above 25. Shrinkage of parts of the brain is associated with a higher risk of cognitive¹ decline and dementia.

对于那些身体质量指数在25以上的人，脑白质（连接大脑各区域的组织,并允许各区域之间进行信息的传递）萎缩的更严重。而大脑的收缩，意味着具有认知衰退和痴呆的高风险。

The Cambridge Study found no differences in cognitive skills when participants underwent IQ tests. But the men and women will be scanned as they get older, to check for changes which indicate mental decline.

剑桥大学研究团队对参与者进行了智商测试，没有发现他们有认知能力下降的迹象。不过，随着他们变老，将会再次扫描大脑以检测智力是否有下降。

Human brains naturally shrink with age, but scientists are increasingly recognising that obesity² - already linked to conditions such as diabetes³, cancer and heart disease - may also affect the onset⁴ and progression of brain ageing.

我们的大脑自然地随着年龄的增长而萎缩，但科学家们越来越认识到，肥胖除了已知与如糖尿病、癌症和心脏疾病等多种疾病相关之外，也可能影响大脑老化的发生与进展。

In the study of people aged between 20 and 87, researchers looked at the impact of obesity on brain structure across the adult lifespan.

在对一组20岁到87岁的参与者的研究中，科学家观察了在整个成人寿命期限内，肥胖对大脑结构的影响。

Researchers divided the groups into two categories: lean and overweight, depending on whether their BMI was above or below 25. They found striking differences in the volume of white matter. Overweight individuals had a widespread reduction in white matter compared with lean people.

依据身体质量指数高于或低于25，研究员将参与者分成了两组：偏瘦组和超重组。他们发现两组的脑白质含量有惊人的区别。与偏瘦组相比，超重组的脑白质含量普遍都比较低。

The team then calculated how white matter volume related to age across the two groups. They discovered that an overweight person at 50 had a comparable white matter volume to a lean person aged 60.

之后，研究人员计算了两组人员中脑白质含量和年龄的相关性。他们发现，一个50岁超重的人，他的大脑白质和一个60岁偏瘦的人的大脑白质数量是一样的。

Researchers only observed these differences from middle-age onwards, suggesting that brains may be particularly vulnerable during this period of ageing.

研究人员只是从中年个体中发现了这些差异，这意味着随着人们年龄增长，大脑会变得越来越脆弱。