研究發(fā)現(xiàn)，吃辛辣食物可能導(dǎo)致癡呆

研究發(fā)現(xiàn)，吃辛辣食物可能導(dǎo)致癡呆

Spicy foods might be good for weight loss. Peppery palates are also thought to be hungrier for sex, too. But a new long-term study has revealed a possible significant downside to fiery flavors: a susceptibility to dementia.

辛辣的食物可能有助于減肥，辣味也被認(rèn)為是對(duì)性的渴望。但一項(xiàng)新的長期研究表明，烈性香料可能有一個(gè)顯著的缺點(diǎn)：易患癡呆癥。

“Chili consumption was found to be beneficial for body weight and blood pressure in our previous studies,” says Dr. Zumin Shi of Quatar University, who led the study, in partnership with researchers at the University of South Australia (UniSA). “However, in this study, we found adverse effects on cognition among older adults.”

“在我們之前的研究中，辣椒的食用對(duì)體重和血壓都有好處。”Quatar大學(xué)的Zumin Shi博士與南澳大利亞大學(xué)的研究人員合作開展了此項(xiàng)研究。“然而，在這項(xiàng)研究中，我們發(fā)現(xiàn)老年人的認(rèn)知能力會(huì)受到負(fù)面影響。”

The study, which appears in the journal Nutrients, analyzed 15-year data from over 4,500 Chinese adults age 55 and above, and saw a more rapid cognitive decline — double the average risk — in those who regularly consumed more than 50 grams of chili per day. Notably, those with slimmer builds experienced an even steeper decrease in memory and cognition.

這項(xiàng)發(fā)表在《營養(yǎng)》雜志上的研究分析了4500多名55歲及以上的中國成年人15年來的數(shù)據(jù)，發(fā)現(xiàn)那些每天經(jīng)常食用50克以上辣椒的人認(rèn)知能力下降更快，是平均水平的兩倍。值得注意的是，那些身材苗條的人在記憶力和認(rèn)知能力方面的下降幅度更大。

“Chili is one of the most commonly used spices in the world and particularly popular in Asia compared to European countries,” says Dr. Ming Li of UniSA. “In certain regions of China, such as Sichuan and Hunan, almost one in three adults consume spicy food every day.”

“辣椒是世界上最常用的香料之一，與歐洲國家相比，它在亞洲尤其受歡迎。”“在中國的某些地區(qū)，比如四川和湖南，幾乎三分之一的成年人每天都吃辛辣食物。”

Cognitive exams were performed regularly between 1991 and 2006, asking participants to recall a 10-word list, count backwards from 20 and complete some basic subtraction equations.

1991年至2006年期間定期進(jìn)行認(rèn)知測(cè)試，要求參與者回憶10個(gè)單詞的列表，從20倒數(shù)，完成一些基本的減法方程式。

Hot foods outlined by researchers include both fresh and dried chili peppers, but excluded sweet peppers and black peppercorns. The common factor is capsaicin, the component of chilis that makes them hot, but also gives our metabolism a boost and promotes vascular health. However, this is the first observational study to examine how capsaicin impacts the brain.

研究人員列出的參與者熱門食物包括新鮮和干辣椒，但不包括甜椒和黑胡椒。主要成分是辣椒素，辣椒素的成分使辣椒變辣，但也能促進(jìn)新陳代謝，促進(jìn)血管健康。然而，這是第一個(gè)觀察辣椒素如何影響大腦的研究。

The data, pulled from the China Health and Nutrition Survey, showed that those with the highest preference for the picante were more physically active, had a lower body mass index and, interestingly, a lower income. Compared to overweight people, researchers believe slim to average body types may be more vulnerable to the cognitive decline associated with chili — though they don’t hypothesize why.

從中國健康和營養(yǎng)調(diào)查中提取的數(shù)據(jù)顯示，那些對(duì)異食癖偏好高的人身體更活躍，體重指數(shù)更低，有趣的是收入也更低。與超重的人相比，研究人員認(rèn)為苗條到一般體型的人可能更容易受到與辣椒有關(guān)的認(rèn)知能力下降的影響，不過他們沒有假設(shè)原因。

The World Health Organization estimates that some 50 million people worldwide have dementia. According to the Alzheimer’s Association, one in three seniors in the US will die with dementia.

世界衛(wèi)生組織估計(jì)全世界大約有5000萬人患有癡呆癥。根據(jù)阿爾茨海默病協(xié)會(huì)表示，美國三分之一的老年人會(huì)死于癡呆癥。