减肥

 　　Rob: Hello I'm Rob….

　　Finn: … and I'm Finn…

　　Rob: … and this is 6 Minute English. In today's programme we're talking about slimming - in other words, doing something to lose weight and get thinner. Not a problem for you Finn?

　　Finn: Well, I do have a small tyre of fat that is growing around my middle - so even I don't have a perfect body!

　　Rob: It doesn't show and maybe you are what we call TOFI - that's thin on the outside and fat on the inside. But for people who perceive - or think they may be fat on the outside, there could be some good news.

　　Finn: Yes, this is to do with research about the temperature of your house. We'll explain more soon and we will look at some related vocabulary. But first Rob, have you got a question for me?

　　Rob: Of course. This is about calories - these are the units that measure how much energy you get from food. People who want to lose weight try to eat food with fewer calories in them. But what is the recommended number of calories an average man needs each day to maintain a healthy weight? Is it:

　　a) 2,000 calories

　　b) 2,500 calories

　　c) 3,000 calories

　　Finn: I should know this. I think it's c) 3,000 calories.

　　Rob: We'll find out if you are right later on. Let's talk more now about a possible new way to slim - or lose weight. New research has found that heating your house too much could make you fat!

　　Finn: And turning the central heating down could make you lose the pounds! This is the claim from Dr Wouter van Marken Lichtenbelt, who is a biologist at Maastricht University Medical Centre.

　　Rob: That's right. He got some brave volunteers to spend six hours every day for ten days indoors, in temperatures of just 15 to 16 degrees Celsius¹ whilst² just wearing t-shirts and shorts. That's not something I would normally do!

　　Finn: But these guinea pigs - a name for people who are used in experiments - became accustomed to - or used - the cold, and their metabolism³ worked faster.

　　Rob: Metabolism is an important thing. This is the chemical process in your body that causes you to burn food and turn it in to energy. So in this research, living in cooler conditions made people's body's burn food faster.

　　Finn: So they burnt off the calories and that means they lost weight. It sounds like a simple and easy diet. I like the sound of a diet that doesn't involve too much effort!

　　Rob: It doesn't mean you can just be a couch⁴ potato - you still need to do some exercise. But living in a cooler temperature could help to some extent and this is because of 'brown fat'.

　　Finn: Brown fat! Let's find out more about this from Dr Wouter van Marken Lichtenbelt, who's been speaking to the BBC's Health Check programme. What happens to brown fat when it is activated⁵?

　　Dr Wouter van Marken Lichtenbelt, Biologist, Maastricht University Medical Centre:

　　Brown fat cells are not really filled with fat, but with other particles that can increase energy metabolism a lot. So if brown fat gets activated it produces heat so it warms up the body.

　　Rob: So he says brown fat isn't fat! It has particles that help to increase your metabolism. When it is activated - or starts working - it makes heat and that warms up the body.

　　Finn: It's interesting stuff - and brown fat actually increases after living in cold conditions. It's particularly found in animals that hibernate⁶ - the ones that sleep during the winter.

　　Rob: A similar experiment took place in Japan which led to people losing weight. But I find if the temperature is colder, I want to eat more to warm me up -particulary unhealthy food or what we call, comfort food.

　　Finn: Well, the Doctor says we mustn't - and he explains that losing weight this way also depends on other lifestyle factors - so other ways we lead our life, such as exercise and what we eat.

　　Rob: But he does feel understanding environmental conditions - where we live and work - could be useful in the future.

　　Finn: He thinks a factor like temperature has been neglected - or not thought important. But he believes it should be thought about when designing heating and cooling systems for homes and offices. Does this mean I am going to be shivering when I'm at work?!

　　Rob: Well you will be producing extra brown fat instead of the other fat! But seriously, the Doctor is just talking about turning the temperature down a few degrees, not turning the room into a freezer. It would certainly help reduce electricity and gas bills! Well it's time now to reveal the answer to the question I set you earlier. I asked you what is the recommended number of calories an average man needs each day to maintain a healthy weight?

　　Finn: I said c) 3,000 calories.

　　Rob: The answer is 2,500 calories per day. And the recommended number calories for an average woman is 2,000 per day. Well, that brings us to the end of today's 6 Minute English. Please join us again soon.

　　Both: Bye.

1 Celsius   

adj.摄氏温度计的，摄氏的

参考例句：

• The temperature tonight will fall to seven degrees Celsius.今晚气温将下降到七摄氏度。
• The maximum temperature in July may be 36 degrees Celsius.七月份最高温度可能达到36摄氏度。

2 whilst   

conj.一边...一边，当...的时候，同时，时时

参考例句：

• She sang whilst she worked.她边干活边唱歌。
• There was dead silence in the court,whilst the white rabbit read out these verses.当白兔子念诗的时候，法庭上鸦雀无声。

3 metabolism   

n.新陈代谢

参考例句：

• After years of dieting,Carol's metabolism was completely out of whack.经过数年的节食，卡罗尔的新陈代谢完全紊乱了。
• All living matter undergoes a process of metabolism.生物都有新陈代谢。

4 couch   

n.睡椅，长沙发椅；vt.表达，隐含

参考例句：

• Lie down on the couch if you're feeling ill.如果你感觉不舒服就躺到沙发上去。
• The rabbIt'sprang from its grassy couch.兔子从草丛中跳出。

5 activated   

adj. 激活的 动词activate的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• The canister is filled with activated charcoal.蒸气回收罐中充满了活性炭。

6 hibernate   

v.冬眠，蛰伏

参考例句：

• Bears often hibernate in caves.熊常在山洞里冬眠。
• Some warm-blooded animals do not need to hibernate.一些温血动物不需要冬眠。