2022年经济学人 根据生理周期规划训练更有效(1)

Science & technology

科技版块

Menstruation and athletics²

生理期和田径

Cycle races

周期比赛

Menstrual cycle coaching may help sports women improve their performances.

生理周期指导可以帮助运动女性提高她们的表现。

Just 0.63 seconds separated first from fourth place in the women’s 100 metres freestyle at the recent Tokyo Olympic Games -- a race where the winning time was 51.96 seconds.

在最近的东京奥运会女子100米自由泳比赛中，第一名和第四名的差距只有0.63秒--夺冠者用时为51.96秒。

In light of this and similar facts, it is not surprising that elite³ athletes are constantly searching for ways to get even 1% better.

鉴于这一点和类似的事实，精英运动员不断地寻找方法，哪怕为了提高1%也不奇怪。

To that end, they hire strength coaches, nutritionists and sports psychologists.

为此，他们聘请了力量教练、营养师和运动心理学家。

And lately, some female athletes have been trying a new tack⁴: working with menstrual-cycle coaches.

最近，一些女运动员一直在尝试一种新方法：随着生理周期进行训练。

Good data concerning the effects of menstruation on athletic¹ performance are scant⁵.

关于月经对运动成绩影响的好数据很少。

However, according to four studies conducted in 2020 on more than 250 athletes from a range of sports, more than half of sportswomen believe their performance fluctuates with the phase of their menstrual cycle.

然而，根据2020年对来自不同运动项目的250多名运动员进行的四项研究，超过一半的女运动员认为她们的表现会随着生理周期的不同而波动。

In particular, many said they suffered in the weeks immediately before and during menstruation.

特别是，许多人说他们在生理期前和生理期期间很痛苦。

World-class performers like Fu Yuanhui, a Chinese swimmer, have spoken openly about this, too.

像中国游泳运动员傅园慧这样的世界级运动员也公开讨论过这一点。

And female athletes also report distraction⁶ and worry about bleeding while actively⁷ menstruating, a matter which made the news recently when a group of activists⁸ protested about the all-white dress code at the Wimbledon tennis championships.

女运动员也表示，在月经来潮时会分心和担心出血，最近一群活动人士抗议温布尔登网球锦标赛上全白色的着装要求，这件事成了新闻。

There is, as well, the question of safety.

此外，还有安全问题。

Again, this is poorly researched.

同样，这方面的研究也很少。

An exception, though, is damage to the anterior⁹ cruciate ligament (acl) of the knee.

不过，膝关节前交叉韧带(ACL)受损是一个例外。

Women are much more prone¹⁰ to acl injuries than men and some studies suggest the level of risk is related to the menstrual cycle.

女性比男性更容易发生前交叉韧带损伤，一些研究表明，风险水平与月经周期有关。

Given the wide physiological¹¹ effects of that cycle, the neglect of its consequences for sport is stark¹².

考虑到这一周期的广泛生理影响，忽视其对体育运动的影响是显而易见的。

The intricate monthly tango of oestrogen and progesterone, the main hormones¹³ which regulate it, has consequences far beyond preparing the body to reproduce.

雌激素和孕激素每月错综复杂的变化，是调节生理期的主要荷尔蒙，其影响远远超出了身体做好生育准备的范围。

The complexity¹⁴ of this dance, compared with the hormonal¹⁵ stability of men, is one reason for that neglect.

这种变化的复杂性，与男性荷尔蒙的稳定性相比，是被忽视的原因之一。

But others are that sport is studied largely by male researchers, and male sport is currently more prominent and better paid.

但其他人认为，体育运动主要是由男性研究人员研究的，目前男性体育运动更突出，收入也更高。

The menstrual dance is, indeed, complex.

生理期的变化确实是复杂的。

For a start, oestrogen is anabolic, building up muscle, while progesterone is catabolic, breaking it down.

首先，雌激素是合成代谢的，可以增强肌肉，而黄体酮是分解代谢的，可以分解肌肉。

Then, at the beginning of the cycle, body cells prefer to metabolise carbohydrates¹⁶.

然后，在周期的开始，身体细胞更喜欢代谢碳水化合物。

Later on, they prefer fats.

后来，他们更喜欢脂肪。

During the luteal phase, immediately after ovulation, when both hormones are high, the body is less resilient to stress and more prone to inflammation.

在排卵后的黄体期，当两种激素都很高时，身体对压力的适应性较差，更容易发生炎症。

At this point women have increased appetites, higher internal temperatures, higher resting heart rates and higher respiratory drive.

此时，女性的食欲增加，体内温度升高，静息心率加快，呼吸动力增强。

They also retain water and salt, causing them to put on weight.

她们还会保留水分和盐分，导致体重增加。

Their heat tolerance¹⁷ is reduced, too.

她们的耐热性也降低了。

And their moods and emotional regulation suffer.

她们的情绪和情绪调节也会受到影响。

1 athletic   

adj.擅长运动的，强健的；活跃的，体格健壮的

参考例句：

• This area has been marked off for athletic practice.这块地方被划出来供体育训练之用。
• He is an athletic star.他是一个运动明星。

2 athletics   

n.运动，体育，田径运动

参考例句：

• When I was at school I was always hopeless at athletics.我上学的时候体育十分糟糕。
• Our team tied with theirs in athletics.在田径比赛中，我们队与他们队旗鼓相当。

3 elite   

n.精英阶层；实力集团；adj.杰出的，卓越的

参考例句：

• The power elite inside the government is controlling foreign policy.政府内部的一群握有实权的精英控制着对外政策。
• We have a political elite in this country.我们国家有一群政治精英。

4 tack   

n.大头钉；假缝，粗缝

参考例句：

• He is hammering a tack into the wall to hang a picture.他正往墙上钉一枚平头钉用来挂画。
• We are going to tack the map on the wall.我们打算把这张地图钉在墙上。

5 scant   

adj.不充分的，不足的；v.减缩，限制，忽略

参考例句：

• Don't scant the butter when you make a cake.做糕饼时不要吝惜奶油。
• Many mothers pay scant attention to their own needs when their children are small.孩子们小的时候，许多母亲都忽视自己的需求。

6 distraction   

n.精神涣散，精神不集中，消遣，娱乐

参考例句：

• Total concentration is required with no distractions.要全神贯注，不能有丝毫分神。
• Their national distraction is going to the disco.他们的全民消遣就是去蹦迪。

7 actively   

adv.积极地，勤奋地

参考例句：

• During this period all the students were actively participating.在这节课中所有的学生都积极参加。
• We are actively intervening to settle a quarrel.我们正在积极调解争执。

8 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 anterior   

adj.较早的；在前的

参考例句：

• We've already finished the work anterior to the schedule.我们已经提前完成了工作。
• The anterior part of a fish contains the head and gills.鱼的前部包括头和鳃。

10 prone   

adj.(to)易于…的，很可能…的；俯卧的

参考例句：

• Some people are prone to jump to hasty conclusions.有些人往往作出轻率的结论。
• He is prone to lose his temper when people disagree with him.人家一不同意他的意见,他就发脾气。

11 physiological   

adj.生理学的，生理学上的

参考例句：

• He bought a physiological book.他买了一本生理学方面的书。
• Every individual has a physiological requirement for each nutrient.每个人对每种营养成分都有一种生理上的需要。

12 stark   

adj.荒凉的；严酷的；完全的；adv.完全地

参考例句：

• The young man is faced with a stark choice.这位年轻人面临严峻的抉择。
• He gave a stark denial to the rumor.他对谣言加以完全的否认。

13 hormones   

n. 荷尔蒙，激素 名词hormone的复数形式

参考例句：

• This hormone interacts closely with other hormones in the body. 这种荷尔蒙与体內其他荷尔蒙紧密地相互作用。
• The adrenals produce a large per cent of a man's sex hormones. 肾上腺分泌人体的大部分性激素。

14 complexity   

n.复杂(性)，复杂的事物

参考例句：

• Only now did he understand the full complexity of the problem.直到现在他才明白这一问题的全部复杂性。
• The complexity of the road map puzzled me.错综复杂的公路图把我搞糊涂了。

15 hormonal   

adj.激素的

参考例句：

• Some viral diseases are more severe during pregnancy, probably tecause of hormonal changes. 有些病毒病在妊娠期间比较严重，可能是由于激素变化引起的。
• She underwent surgical intervention and a subsequent short period of hormonal therapy. 他接受外科手术及随后短暂荷尔蒙治疗。

16 carbohydrates   

n.碳水化合物，糖类( carbohydrate的名词复数 )；淀粉质或糖类食物

参考例句：

• The plant uses the carbohydrates to make cellulose. 植物用碳水化合物制造纤维素。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• All carbohydrates originate from plants. 所有的碳水化合物均来自植物。 来自辞典例句

17 tolerance   

n.宽容；容忍，忍受；耐药力；公差

参考例句：

• Tolerance is one of his strengths.宽容是他的一个优点。
• Human beings have limited tolerance of noise.人类对噪音的忍耐力有限。