How the food you eat affects your gut - Shilpa Ravella

譯者: Echo Huang 審譯者: Cissy Yun

Trillions of bacteria, viruses, and fungi live on or inside of us,

人體內住著好幾兆個 細菌、病毒和真菌

and maintaining a good, balanced relationship with them

與它們保持良好且平衡的關係

is to our advantage.

於我們身體有益

Together, they form the gut microbiome,

它們共同形成腸道微生物群

a rich ecosystem that performs a variety of functions in our bodies.

這是一個豐富的生態系統 能夠在我們體內執行各種功能

The bacteria in our guts can break down food the body can't digest,

腸道內的細菌能夠分解 身體無法消化的食物

produce important nutrients,

並產生重要的營養份

regulate the immune system,

來調節免疫系統

and protect against harmful germs.

並防止病菌入侵

We don't yet have the blueprint

我們還沒有藍圖

for exactly which good bacteria a robust gut needs,

能夠精準地了解健壯的 腸道需要哪些好菌

but we do know that it's important for a healthy microbiome

但我們知道對於一個 健康的微生物群來說

to have a variety of bacterial species.

擁有多樣化的菌種很重要

Many factors affect our microbiomes,

許多因素會影響微生物群

including our environment,

包括環境

medications like antibiotics,

藥物如抗生素

and even whether we were delivered by C-section or not.

甚至是有沒有經歷過剖腹產手術

Diet, too, is emerging as one of the leading influences

飲食也是影響腸道的健康

on the health of our guts.

主要因素之一

And while we can't control all these factors,

然而我們無法控制所有因素

we can manipulate the balance of our microbes

我們可以控制體內微生物之間的平衡

by paying attention to what we eat.

藉由留意所吃下的食物

Dietary fiber from foods like fruits, vegetables, nuts, legumes, and whole grains

水果、蔬菜、堅果、豆類 和全穀物內的膳食纖維

is the best fuel for gut bacteria.

是腸道微生物群最好的燃料

When bacteria digest fiber,

細菌在分解消化纖維時

they produce short chain fatty acids that nourish the gut barrier,

會產生滋養腸道屏障的短鏈脂肪酸

improve immune function,

來提高免疫功能

and can help prevent inflammation, which reduces the risk of cancer.

並幫助預防發炎，降低罹癌的風險

And the more fiber you ingest,

當你攝取更多的纖維

the more fiber-digesting bacteria colonize your gut.

腸道內會有更多分解纖維的細菌

In a recent study, scientists exchanged the regular high-fiber diets

近來一份研究中

科學家將一群來自南非農村地區的人 所攝取的高纖維飲食

of a group of rural South Africans

with the high-fat, meat-heavy diets of a group of African-Americans.

與非裔美國人所攝取的 高脂肪、多肉飲食作替換

After just two weeks on the high-fat, low-fiber, Western-style diet,

僅僅兩周過後

食用高脂肪、低纖維西式飲食的 南非農村實驗組

the rural African group showed increased inflammation of the colon,

顯示出結腸炎症的增加 以及丁酸鹽的減少

as well as a decrease of butyrate.

That's a short chain fatty acid thought to lower risk of colon cancer.

而丁酸鹽被視為一種 能降低結腸癌風險的短鏈脂肪酸

Meanwhile, the group that switched to a high-fiber, low-fat diet

同時，食用高纖維、低脂肪的對照組

had the opposite result.

則有相反的結果

So what goes wrong with our gut bacteria when we eat low-fiber processed foods?

因此，當我們吃下 低纖維的加工食物後

腸道微生物群會出現甚麼問題呢？

Lower fiber means less fuel for the gut bacteria,

對於腸道微生物群來說

較少的纖維意味著較少的燃料

essentially starving them until they die off.

本質上使微生物群挨餓 直至他們相繼死亡

This results in less diversity

這會降低菌群多樣性

and hungry bacteria.

並產生飢餓細菌

In fact, some can even start to feed on the mucus lining.

事實上，一些微生物群 甚至開始攝入腸道黏膜

We also know that specific foods can affect gut bacteria.

我們同樣知道特定食物 會影響腸道微生物

In one recent microbiome study,

近來一份關於微生物群的報告

scientists found that fruits,

科學家們發現

vegetables,

水果

蔬菜

tea,

茶類

coffee,

咖啡

red wine,

紅酒

and dark chocolate

和黑巧克力

were correlated with increased bacterial diversity.

與菌群多樣性的增加有所關連

These foods contain polyphenols,

這些食物含有多酚

which are naturally occurring antioxidant compounds.

而多酚是天然存在的抗氧化化合物

另一方面

On the other hand,

foods high in dairy fat,

脂肪含量高的飲食

like whole milk, and sugar-sweetened sodas

像是全脂牛奶和含糖汽水

were correlated with decreased diversity.

與菌群多樣性的減少有所關連

How food is prepared also matters.

食物的準備方式也很重要

Minimally processed, fresh foods generally have more fiber

簡單加工、新鮮的食品 普遍含有更多的纖維

and provide better fuel.

也能夠提供更好的燃料

So lightly steamed,

因此稍微蒸煮、煎炒或是生的蔬菜

sautéed,

or raw vegetables

are typically more beneficial than fried dishes.

通常比炸物更為健康

There are also ways of preparing food that can actually introduce good bacteria,

還有一些製作方法能為腸道引進好菌

also known as probiotics, into your gut.

它們也被稱作益生菌

Fermented foods are teeming with helpful probiotic bacteria,

發酵的食物富有益生菌

like lactobacillus

像是乳酸菌

and bifidobacteria.

和雙歧桿菌

Originally used as a way of preserving foods

而在冰箱被發明之前 它們通常被用來保存食物

before the invention of refrigeration,

fermentation remains a traditional practice all over the world.

發酵仍是一項遍及世界的傳統做法

Foods like kimchi,

像是韓國泡菜

sauerkraut,

德國酸菜

tempeh,

印尼丹貝

and kombucha

和紅茶菌

provide variety and vitality to our diets.

都能夠為我們的食物提供多樣性和活力

Yogurt is another fermented food that can introduce helpful bacteria into our guts.

優格也是一種能為腸道 帶來好菌的發酵食物

That doesn't necessarily mean that all yogurt is good for us, though.

但這並不代表所有優格 都對我們的身體有益

Brands with too much sugar and not enough bacteria

那些含糖量太高和益菌不夠多的品牌

may not actually help.

並不會為身體帶來好處

These are just general guidelines.

這些只是一般公認的準則

More research is needed before we fully understand

在我們充分理解前 需要進行更多的研究

exactly how any of these foods interact with our microbiomes.

這些食物究竟如何 與體內的微生物群相互作用

We see positive correlations,

我們可以看到食物間的正向影響

but the insides of our guts are difficult places to make direct observations.

然而我們難以直接觀察腸道內部

For instance, we don't currently know

舉例來說，我們目前仍無法知道

whether these foods are directly responsible for the changes in diversity,

這些食物是否會直接 導致菌群多樣化的改變

or if something more complicated is happening.

又或者這之間發生了更為複雜的變化

While we're only beginning to explore the vast wilderness inside our guts,

雖然我們才剛開始探索 腸道內的浩瀚荒野

we already have a glimpse of how crucial our microbiomes are for digestive health.

我們已經一瞥微生物群 對消化系統健康的重要性

The great news is we have the power to fire up the bacteria in our bellies.

好消息是我們能夠激發腸道內的細菌

Fill up on fibers,

多攝取纖維素

fresh and fermented foods,

和新鮮、發酵的食物

and you can trust your gut to keep you going strong.

如此一來，你的腸道 一定會使你更加強壯