VOA常速英语2014--Scientists To Study Chocolate's Health Benefits 科学家将研究巧克力的健康益处（在线收听）

Scientists To Study Chocolate's Health Benefits 科学家将研究巧克力的健康益处

WASHINGTON — Dark chocolate is known to help prevent heart disease, but eating too much of it may be not so good for your body weight. But never fear! Scientists are looking for a way to concentrate dark chocolate's helpful ingredients in supplemental pills. 

Cocoa contains chemicals called flavanols that may help reduce the risk of strokes and heart attacks by lowering blood pressure and bad cholesterol levels and improving the body's use of insulin.

可可里含有的黄烷醇能降低血压和坏胆固醇水平并改善人体对胰岛素的使用，从而降低中风和心脏病的风险。

Washington chocolatier Steve Koumanelis said that is one reason dark chocolate is increasingly popular among his customers.

华盛顿巧克力大亨Steve Koumanelis说这就是黑巧克力在顾客中越发受欢迎的原因之一。

“A lot of people are gravitating towards dark chocolate because they just decide they love it, and they also have been reading all about the health benefits of dark chocolate,” said Koumanelis.

“很多人开始喜欢上黑巧克力只是喜欢上黑巧克力，也是因为读了很多有关黑巧克力益处的文章。”

But those benefits have not been confirmed by studies involving large numbers of people. Also, during the manufacture of chocolate, many flavanoids are destroyed, while sugar and saturated fats are added to contribute to flavor.

但是这些益处尚未得到涉及诸多人的研究的证实，在制作巧克力的过程中，很多黄烷醇被破坏了，同时加上饱和脂肪和糖来增加风味。

Scientists now want to learn the benefits of flavanols in their unadulterated form. They plan a four-year study of 18,000 adults, who will take capsules of pure cocoa flavanols, in what is being called the largest test of its kind.

科学家现在想研究纯粹的黄烷醇的益处，他们计划在4年内研究1.8万名成年人，参与者服用纯可可黄烷醇的胶囊，这是此类实验中规模最大的。

Jo-Ann Manson, of the Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, is the lead researcher.

就职于波士顿布莱根妇女医院的Jo-Ann Manson是研究负责人。

“This capsule of cocoa flavanols will avoid having the calories and the sugar and the saturated fat found in chocolate,” said Manson.

“可可黄烷醇胶囊能不含一般巧克力含有的卡路里、糖和饱和脂肪。”

The capsules also won't have any taste.

同时胶囊也没有任何味道。

Participants, divided in two groups, will take two identical pills a day. One group’s pills will contain flavanols, while the others will get placebo pills.

参与者被分为两组，每天服用外表相同的药片。一组的药片含有黄烷醇，另一组的只是安慰片。

“The amount of chocolate that it would take in order to have this amount of cocoa flavanols would be more than ten times the amount that people would ordinarily eat,” said Manson.

“含有黄烷醇的药片中黄烷醇的份量是日常中吃的巧克力中黄烷醇含量的10倍多。”

Whatever the outcome of the study, Koumanelis said he’s not worried about his business.

不管实验结果怎样，Koumanelis说他不担心自己的生意。

“People like the experience of actually biting into a piece of chocolate, whatever their favorites are,” he said.

“人们喜欢这个能吃巧克力的实验，不管是否喜欢。”

The flavanol benefits test is still in the early stage, so scientists are not sure when the participants will be handed their first chocolate pills. In the meantime, they'll get their flavanols the old fashioned way!

黄烷醇益处的实验尚在初期，所以科学家不确定何时给参与者第一个巧克力药片，同时，参与者还将靠老办法获取黄烷醇。