How the food you eat affects your brain - Mia Nacamulli

翻译人员: YINGHUA XU 校对人员: Menglu Zhang

Your Brain on Food

食物对大脑的影响

If you sucked all of the moisture out of your brain

如果将你的大脑里所有的水分都吸干

and broke it down to its constituent nutritional content,

然后按不同的营养成分进行分类

what would it look like?

会是怎样呢？

Most of the weight of your dehydrated brain would come from fats,

脱水后，大脑的重量主要来自于脂肪

also known as lipids.

也被认为是脂质（Lipids）

In the remaining brain matter, you would find proteins and amino acids,

在剩余的物质中，你会发现蛋白质和氨基酸

traces of micronutrients,

微量营养素

and glucose.

以及葡萄糖

The brain is, of course, more than just the sum of its nutritional parts,

当然，大脑不仅仅是这些营养物质的简单加总

but each component does have a distinct impact on functioning,

这些营养物质确实各有分工， 影响着身体运作

development,

机能发展

mood,

情绪变化

and energy.

及能量消耗

So that post-lunch apathy,

我们可能都有过，午饭后乏力易困

or late-night alertness you might be feeling,

或是夜幕已深我们仍难以入眠，

well, that could simply be the effects of food on your brain.

这些体验都可能是食物对大脑产生的影响

Of the fats in your brain, the superstars are omegas 3 and 6.

大脑里的脂质中，Omegas-3和 6是其中的明星成员

These essential fatty acids,

这些人体必需的脂肪酸

which have been linked to preventing degenerative brain conditions,

被认为能防止脑功能的退化

must come from our diets.

它们必须通过食物才能摄取

So eating omega-rich foods,

所以，食用富含Omega脂肪酸的食物

like nuts,

seeds,

比如坚果

食物种子

and fatty fish,

脂质含量较高的鱼类

is crucial to the creation and maintenance of cell membranes.

对细胞膜生成和维护是非常关键的

And while omegas are good fats for your brain,

Omega这类脂质对大脑来说是有益脂肪

long-term consumption of other fats, like trans and saturated fats,

但长期食用其他脂质，比如反式脂肪和饱和脂肪

may compromise brain health.

却可能会危害脑部健康

Meanwhile, proteins and amino acids,

此外，蛋白质和氨基酸也是

the building block nutrients of growth and development,

身体机能增长和发展的基础营养要素

manipulate how we feel and behave.

操纵着人类的感受与行为

Amino acids contain the precursors to neurotransmitters,

氨基酸含有构成神经递质的前体蛋白

the chemical messengers that carry signals between neurons,

神经递质就是在神经元之间传递信号的化学物质

affecting things like mood,

会影响人类的情绪

sleep,

睡眠

attentiveness,

注意力

and weight.

及体重

They're one of the reasons we might feel calm after eating a large plate of pasta,

这是人们在吃了一大份意大利面后会变得镇定的原因之一

or more alert after a protein-rich meal.

也是为什么人们吃了一顿富含蛋白质的晚餐后会很精神

The complex combinations of compounds in food

食物中复合物的的复杂组合

can stimulate brain cells to release mood-altering norepinephrine,

会刺激大脑细胞释放影响情绪 的降肾上腺素

dopamine,

多巴胺

and serotonin.

和血清素

But getting to your brain cells is tricky,

但它们想要进入脑部细胞并非易事

and amino acids have to compete for limited access.

氨基酸还需抢占有限的通道以进入脑细胞

A diet with a range of foods helps maintain a balanced combination

饮食结构多样化 能帮助脑部传输元素数量平衡

of brain messengers,

相互协作

and keeps your mood from getting skewed in one direction or the other.

以保证你的情绪不会有偏向的波动

Like the other organs in our bodies,

像我们身体中的其他器官一样

our brains also benefit from a steady supply of micronutrients.

稳定供给微量营养元素也会有益大脑

Antioxidants in fruits and vegetables

水果和蔬菜中的抗氧化剂

strengthen the brain to fight off free radicals that destroy brain cells,

能加强脑部抗击的自由基的能力，防止脑细胞受损

enabling your brain to work well for a longer period of time.

从而使大脑能良好运作更长的时间

And without powerful micronutrients,

如果没有这些强大的微量营养元素

like the vitamins B6,

如维他命B6

B12,

B12

and folic acid,

及叶酸

our brains would be susceptible to brain disease and mental decline.

我们会易出现脑部疾病和智力下降的病症

Trace amounts of the minerals iron,

微量的矿物铁

copper,

铜

zinc,

锌

and sodium

钠

are also fundamental to brain health and early cognitive development.

也是大脑健康和早期认知发展所需的基本元素

In order for the brain to efficiently transform and synthesize

为了使大脑能更有效地转化和合成这些

these valuable nutrients,

重要的营养物质

it needs fuel, and lots of it.

大脑需要的能量，大量的能量

While the human brain only makes up about 2% of our body weight,

尽管人类大脑只占到体重的2%

但它却消耗了超过20%的能量

it uses up to 20% of our energy resources.

Most of this energy comes from carbohydrates

大多数的能量来自于碳水化合物

that our body digests into glucose, or blood sugar.

我们的身体将这些碳水化合物消化成葡萄糖或者血糖

The frontal lobes are so sensitive to drops in glucose, in fact,

大脑前庭对葡萄糖供给下降十分敏感

实际上，心智功能产生的变化

that a change in mental function is one of the primary signals

of nutrient deficiency.

就是营养不足的一个重要信号

Assuming that we are getting glucose regularly,

假设我们能不断获取葡萄糖

how does the specific type of carbohydrates we eat affect our brains?

那么我们食用特定种类的碳水化合物是如何影响我们的大脑的呢？

Carbs come in three forms:

碳水化合物有三种形式

starch,

sugar,

淀粉

糖类

and fiber.

和纤维素

While on most nutrition labels,

尽管在大多数营养成分表中

they are all lumped into one total carb count,

它们都计入在碳水化合物的含量中

the ratio of the sugar and fiber subgroups to the whole amount

糖类和纤维素各自在总量中所占的比例

affect how the body and brain respond.

会影响我们身体和大脑的反应

A high glycemic food, like white bread,

高血糖食物，如白面包

causes a rapid release of glucose into the blood,

会迅速释放大量葡萄糖进入血液中

and then comes the dip.

之后血糖含量又迅速下降

Blood sugar shoots down, and with it, our attention span and mood.

当血糖含量降低时， 我们的注意力和情绪也随之下降

On the other hand, oats, grains, and legumes have slower glucose release,

另一方面，燕麦、谷物和豆类 释放葡萄糖较为缓慢

enabling a steadier level of attentiveness.

能使注意力保持得更稳定

For sustained brain power,

为了让脑力可持续使用

opting for a varied diet of nutrient-rich foods is critical.

选择饮食多样化是至关重要的

When it comes to what you bite, chew, and swallow,

涉及到你要吃，要咀嚼的，要吞咽的食物时

your choices have a direct and long-lasting effect

你的选择会直接并长久地影响到

on the most powerful organ in your body.

你身体中最强大的器官