How do carbohydrates impact your health? - Richard J. Wood

翻译人员: Tianchang Luo 校对人员: Yolanda Zhang

Which of these has the least carbohydrates?

这些（食物）中哪些 含碳水化合物最少呢？

This roll of bread?

这卷面包？

This bowl of rice?

这碗米饭？

Or this can of soda?

或者这罐苏打水？

It's a trick question.

这是一个很难的问题。

Although they may differ in fats, vitamins, and other nutritional content,

尽管它们的脂肪、维生素和 其他营养物质的含量不同，

when it comes to carbs, they're pretty much the same.

但碳水化合物的含量几乎是相同的。

那么这对于你的饮食意味着什么呢？

So what exactly does that mean for your diet?

First of all, carbohydrate is the nutritional category for sugars

首先，碳水化合物是一类 可以通过你的身体

and molecules that your body breaks down to make sugars.

被分解生成糖类的物质。

Carbohydrates can be simple or complex depending on their structure.

根据其结构不同，碳水化合物可以很简单， 也可以很复杂。

This is a simple sugar, or monosaccharide.

这是一种结构简单的糖，或者叫单糖。

Glucose, fructose, and galactose are all simple sugars.

葡萄糖，果糖，半乳糖都是结构简单的糖，

Link two of them together, and you've got a disaccharide,

把这些糖中的其中两种连接起来， 你就得到了二糖，

lactose, maltose, or sucrose.

乳糖，麦芽糖或者蔗糖。

Complex carbohydrates, on the other hand,

另一方面，复合碳水化合物

have three or more simple sugars strung together.

是由两种或者三种单糖形成的。

Complex carbohydrates with three to ten linked sugars

由3到10个糖分子连接起来的 复合碳水化合物，

are oligosaccharides.

称为低聚糖。

Those with more than ten are polysaccharides.

由多于10个糖分子组成的 那些称为多聚糖。

During digestion,

在消化的过程中

your body breaks down those complex carbohydrates

你的身体把那些复合碳水化合物

into their monosaccharide building blocks,

分解成它们的单糖单元，

which your cells can use for energy.

你的细胞可以利用 这些单糖来获得能量。

So when you eat any carbohydrate-rich food,

因此当你吃任何 富含碳水化合物的食物时，

the sugar level in your blood, normally about a teaspoon, goes up.

你的血糖含量——正常情况下大概一茶匙 ——就会上升。

But your digestive tract doesn't respond to all carbohydrates the same.

但是你的消化道并不是对 所有的碳水化合物都有一样的反应。

Consider starch and fiber,

拿淀粉和纤维来说，

both polysaccharides,

它们都是多糖，

both derived from plants,

都是从植物中获得的，

both composed of hundreds to thousands of monosaccharides joined together,

也都由成百上千个单糖连接而成，

but they're joined together differently,

但是它们的连接方式不同，

and that changes the effect they have on your body.

这就改变了它们对你身体的影响。

In starches, which plants mostly store for energy in roots and seeds,

淀粉，是植物通常在根或者种子中 存储能量的形式，

glucose molecules are joined together by alpha linkages,

葡萄糖分子是α键连接在一起的，

most of which can be easily cleaved by enzymes in your digestive tract.

大部分这种键可以很容易 被你消化道中的酶断开，

But in fiber, the bonds between monosaccharide molecules are beta bonds,

但是在纤维中，单糖分子之间的键是β键，

which your body can't break down.

你的身体不能分解它。

Fiber can also trap some starches, preventing them from being cleaved,

纤维也可以捕捉到一些淀粉， 避免其被分解，

resulting in something called resistant starch.

生成一些被称为抗性淀粉的东西。

So foods high in starch, like crackers and white bread,

因此淀粉含量高的食物， 比如薄脆饼干和白面包，

are digested easily,

就很容易消化，

quickly releasing a whole bunch of glucose into your blood,

快速地释放大量葡萄糖到你的血液里，

exactly what would happen if you drank something high in glucose, like soda.

就好比你喝了一些葡萄糖含量高的饮料， 比如苏打水。

These foods have a high glycemic index,

这些食物都有很高的血糖指数，

the amount that a particular food raises the sugar level in your blood.

也就是某一种食物升高血糖含量的数值。

Soda and white bread have a similar glycemic index

苏打水和白面包有相似的血糖指数，

because they have a similar effect on your blood sugar.

因为它们对你的血糖含量有相似的影响。

But when you eat foods high in fiber, like vegetables, fruits, and whole grains,

但是当你吃富含纤维的食物比如蔬菜、 水果，还有全麦时，

those indigestible beta bonds slow the release of glucose into the blood.

那些难消化的β键会减慢 葡萄糖释放到血液中的过程。

Those foods have a lower glycemic index,

那些食物的血糖指数就低一些，

and foods like eggs, cheese, and meats have the lowest glycemic index.

像鸡蛋、奶酪还有肉这些食物的 血糖指数就是最低的。

When sugar moves from the digestive tract to the blood stream,

当糖从消化道进入到血管中时，

your body kicks into action to transfer it into your tissues

你的身体就会开始将糖转运到 身体组织中，

where it can be processed and used for energy.

在这里糖会被处理生成能量。

Insulin, a hormone synthesized in the pancreas,

胰岛素，一种在胰腺中合成的荷尔蒙，

is one of the body's main tools for sugar management.

是身体中一种主要的血糖管理工具。

When you eat and your blood sugar rises,

当你吃东西导致血糖升高的时候，

insulin is secreted into the blood.

胰岛素会被分泌到血液中。

It prompts your muscle and fat cells to let glucose in

它促进你的肌肉和脂肪细胞吸收葡萄糖，

and jump starts the conversion of sugar to energy.

并且快速开始从糖到能量的转换。

The degree to which a unit of insulin lowers the blood sugar

单位量的胰岛素降低血糖的程度

helps us understand something called insulin sensitivity.

能帮助我们理解所谓的胰岛素敏感性。

The more a given unit of insulin lowers blood sugar,

给定单位量的胰岛素降低的 血糖浓度越多，

the more sensitive you are to insulin.

就说明你对胰岛素越敏感。

If insulin sensitivity goes down, that's known as insulin resistance.

如果胰岛素敏感度降低， 就被称为胰岛素抗性。

The pancreas still sends out insulin,

胰腺仍然会释放胰岛素，

but cells, especially muscle cells, are less and less responsive to it,

但是细胞，特别是肌肉细胞， 对胰岛素做出的反应越来越少，

so blood sugar fails to decrease,

因此血糖浓度无法降低，

and blood insulin continues to rise.

而血液中胰岛素还会持续增加。

Chronically consuming a lot of carbohydrates

长期摄入大量碳水化合物

may lead to insulin resistance,

可能会导致胰岛素抗性，

and many scientists believe that insulin resistance

许多科学家们相信胰岛素抗性

leads to a serious condition called metabolic syndrome.

会导致一种严重的病，叫做代谢综合征。

That involves a constellation of symptoms,

代谢综合征有许多症状，

including high blood sugar,

包括高血糖，

increased waist circumference,

变大的腰围，

and high blood pressure.

和高血压。

It increases the risk of developing conditions,

它增加了患病的风险，

like cardiovascular disease

比如心血管疾病

and type II diabetes.

和II型糖尿病。

And its prevalence is rapidly increasing all over the world.

代谢综合征的患病率 在全球范围内增长迅速。

As much as 32% of the population in the U.S. has metabolic syndrome.

多达32%的美国人患有代谢综合征。

So let's get back to your diet.

再回到你的日常饮食吧。

Whether your food tastes sweet or not, sugar is sugar,

不管你的食物尝起来甜不甜， 糖就是糖，

and too many carbs can be a problem.

摄入过多的碳水化合物 会引发健康问题。

So maybe you'll want to take a pass

那么你也许不会再选择吃

on that pasta sushi roll pita burrito donut burger sandwich.

意大利面，寿司，皮塔饼，墨西哥玉米卷， 甜甜圈，汉堡和三明治了吧。