英语四级听力 057 How to Eat Smart

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057 How to Eat Smart
The brain, which accounts for 2 percent of our body weight, sucks down roughly 20 percent of our daily calories.
A picky eater, it demands a constant supply of glucose-primarily obtained from recently eaten fruits, vegetables, grains etc. only in extreme instances of deprivation will the brain use other substances for fuel.
More recently evolved areas of the brain, such as the frontal cortex (it’s like the CEO of the brain), are particularly sensitive to falling glucose levels while brain areas regulating vital functions are hardier, said Leigh Gibson of Roe Hampton University in England. “When your glucose level drops, the symptom is confused thinking, not a change in breathing pattern,” he said.
This is not to suggest that we should constantly drink soda to keep our brains functioning best. On the contrary, high glucose levels slowly but surely damage cells everywhere in the body, including those in the brain, said Marc Montminy of the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in California.
And according to a recent study, the brain may react to excess food as if it were a bacterium. The resulting immune response, which occurs irrespective of weight gain, may
cause cognitive deficits such as those associated with Alzheimer’s.
Similarly, high blood sugar, coupled with a cognitive task, is associated with elevated cortisol-a hormone known to impair memory in high doses, Gibson said. In other words, don’t get out the flash cards after that second (or third) piece of cake.
Translation:
大脑的重量是我们身体重量的2%,约吸收了我们每天摄入热量的20%。

挑食的人,身体需要恒定葡萄糖——这主要来源于最近食用的水果、蔬菜、谷物等。

只有葡萄糖及其缺乏的情况下大脑才会用其他物质作为能量。

来自英国罗汉普顿大学的莉.吉布森认为,大脑后期发育形成的区域,如前脑皮层(就像是大脑袋CEO),对葡萄糖水平降低尤为敏感,而大脑调节生命的功能却增强了。

他说:“当你的葡萄糖水平下降时,症状是思维混乱,呼吸方面没有变化。


这并不是建议我们应该长期喝碳酸饮料以保持大脑的最佳功能。

相反,尽管会很缓慢,但葡萄糖含量太高一定会损害到全身的细胞,包括脑细胞,加利福尼亚萨克生物研究学院的马克.曼特米尼说。

根据一项最新研究,大脑可能对过量食物有反应,就像细菌一样。

其造成的免疫反应,与体重增加无关,但可能会导致认知能力衰弱,
例如老年痴呆症一类的病症。

吉布森说,高血糖对认知能力同样也有作用,并会使皮质醇升高——一种已知的在大剂量下会损伤记忆力的荷尔蒙。

换句话说,不要在刚吃过两片(或三片)蛋糕后就拿出记忆卡片来联系。

Words:
deprivation[dɪ'praɪveiʃə:n] 剥夺picky[pɪki] 过分讲究,吹毛求疵glucose ['ɡlu:kəʊs] 葡萄糖
Phrases:
be sensitive to… 对…敏感get out 弄出
couple with… 和…一起,连同 irrespective of 不考虑,不顾frontal cortex 额皮质suck down 耗尽。