TED演讲:食物是如何影响大脑的(1)

 　　If you sucked all of the moisture out of your brain and broke it down to its constituent¹ nutritional² content, what would it look like? 如果将你大脑里所有的水分都吸干，然后按不同的营养成分进行分类，会是怎样呢？

　　Most of the weight of your dehydrated brain would come from fats, also known as lipids. 脱水后，大脑的重量主要来自于脂肪，也被认为是脂质（Lipids）。

　　In the remaining brain matter, you would find proteins and amino acids, traces of micronutrients, and glucose⁴. 在剩余的物质中，你会发现蛋白质和氨基酸，微量营养素，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相加，

　　but each component⁵ does have a distinct impact on functioning, development, mood, and energy. 这些营养物质确实各有分工，影响着身体运作，机能发展，情绪变化及能量消耗。

　　So that post-lunch apathy⁶, or late-night alertness you might be feeling,  我们可能都有过，午饭后乏力易困或是夜幕已深我们仍难以入眠的经历，

　　well, that could simply be the effects of food on your brain. 这些体验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Omegas-6是其中的明星成员。

　　These essential fatty acids, which have been linked to preventing degenerative brain conditions, must come from our diets. 这些人体必需的脂肪酸被认为能防止脑功能退化，它们必须通过食物才能摄取。

　　So eating omega-rich foods, like nuts, seeds, and fatty fish, is crucial to the creation and maintenance of cell membranes⁷. 所以，食用富含Omega脂肪酸的食物，比如坚果，食物种子，脂质含量较高的鱼类，对细胞膜生成和维护是非常关键的。

　　And while omegas are good fats for your brain, long-term consumption of other fats, like trans and saturated⁸ fats, may compromise brain health. Omega这类脂质对大脑来说是有益脂肪，但长期食用其他脂质，比如反式脂肪和饱和脂肪却可能会危害脑部健康。

　　Meanwhile, proteins and amino acids, the building block nutrients³ of growth and development, manipulate how we feel and behave. 此外，蛋白质和氨基酸也是身体机能增长和发展的基础营养要素，操纵着人类的感受与行为。

　　Amino acids contain the precursors⁹ 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, affecting things like mood, sleep, attentiveness¹⁰, and weight. 神经递质是神经元之间传递信号的化学物质，会影响人类的情绪，睡眠，注意力，及体重。

　　They're one of the reasons we might feel calm after eating a large plate of pasta, or more alert after a protein-rich meal. 这就是人们在吃了一大份意大利面后会变得镇定的原因之一，也是人们吃一顿富含蛋白质的晚餐后会很精神的原因。

　　The complex combinations of compounds in food can stimulate¹¹ brain cells to release mood-altering norepinephrine, dopamine, and serotonin. 食物中复合物的的复杂组合会刺激大脑细胞释放影响情绪的降肾上腺素，多巴胺和血清素。

　　But getting to your brain cells is tricky¹², and amino acids have to compete for limited access. 但它们想要进入脑部细胞并非易事，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 of brain messengers,  饮食结构多样化能帮助脑部传输元素数量平衡，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。

1 constituent   

n.选民；成分，组分；adj.组成的，构成的

参考例句：

• Sugar is the main constituent of candy.食糖是糖果的主要成分。
• Fibre is a natural constituent of a healthy diet.纤维是健康饮食的天然组成部分。

2 nutritional   

adj.营养的，滋养的

参考例句：

• A diet lacking in nutritional value will not keep a person healthy.缺乏营养价值的饮食不能维持人的健康。
• The labels on food products give a lot of information about their nutritional content.食品上的标签提供很多关于营养成分的信息。

3 nutrients   

n.（食品或化学品）营养物，营养品( nutrient的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a lack of essential nutrients 基本营养的缺乏
• Nutrients are absorbed into the bloodstream. 营养素被吸收进血液。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 glucose   

n.葡萄糖

参考例句：

• I gave him an extra dose of glucose to pep him up.我给他多注射了一剂葡萄糖以增强他的活力。
• The doctor injected glucose into his patient's veins.医生将葡萄糖注入病人的静脉。

5 component   

n.组成部分，成分，元件；adj.组成的，合成的

参考例句：

• Each component is carefully checked before assembly.每个零件在装配前都经过仔细检查。
• Blade and handle are the component parts of a knife.刀身和刀柄是一把刀的组成部分。

6 apathy   

n.漠不关心，无动于衷；冷淡

参考例句：

• He was sunk in apathy after his failure.他失败后心恢意冷。
• She heard the story with apathy.她听了这个故事无动于衷。

7 membranes   

n.（动物或植物体内的）薄膜( membrane的名词复数 )；隔膜；（可起防水、防风等作用的）膜状物

参考例句：

• The waste material is placed in cells with permeable membranes. 废液置于有渗透膜的槽中。 来自辞典例句
• The sarcoplasmic reticulum is a system of intracellular membranes. 肌浆网属于细胞内膜系统。 来自辞典例句

8 saturated   

a.饱和的，充满的

参考例句：

• The continuous rain had saturated the soil. 连绵不断的雨把土地淋了个透。
• a saturated solution of sodium chloride 氯化钠饱和溶液

9 precursors   

n.先驱( precursor的名词复数 )；先行者；先兆；初期形式

参考例句：

• Phenyl (or polyphenyl) substituted epoxides serve as excellent precursors to phenyl (or diphenyl) carbenes. 某些苯代（或多苯）环氧乙烷是制取带苯环（或二苯）碳烯的极好原料。 来自辞典例句
• Note the presence of megakaryocytes, erythroid islands, and granulocytic precursors. 可见巨核细胞，红细胞岛和粒细胞前体细胞。 来自互联网

10 attentiveness   

[医]注意

参考例句：

• They all helped one another with humourous attentiveness. 他们带着近于滑稽的殷勤互相周旋。 来自辞典例句
• Is not attentiveness the nature of, even the function of, Conscious? 专注不正是大我意识的本质甚或活动吗？ 来自互联网

11 stimulate   

vt.刺激，使兴奋；激励，使…振奋

参考例句：

• Your encouragement will stimulate me to further efforts.你的鼓励会激发我进一步努力。
• Success will stimulate the people for fresh efforts.成功能鼓舞人们去作新的努力。

12 tricky   

adj.狡猾的，奸诈的；(工作等)棘手的，微妙的

参考例句：

• I'm in a rather tricky position.Can you help me out?我的处境很棘手，你能帮我吗？
• He avoided this tricky question and talked in generalities.他回避了这个非常微妙的问题，只做了个笼统的表述。