柑橘中的抗氧化剂可以治疗肥胖相关的疾病

Antioxidants in Citrus May Fight Obesity¹-Related Diseases 柑橘中的抗氧化剂可以治疗肥胖相关的疾病

Citrus fruits like oranges, lemons and grapefruit in a diet could reduce the chance of chronic² diseases that are related to obesity, according to a new study.

Citrus fruits contain antioxidants. New research is giving more evidence about how antioxidants protect the cells inside one’s body.

There is a substance in citrus fruits called flavanones. Flavanones are antioxidants that help people’s bodies reduce the amount of stress. The diseases linked to obesity are caused by stress and inflammation.

Paula Ferreira is a researcher at the Universidade Estadual Paulista in Brazil. She did the research and spoke³ of the results.

“…[W]e can use citrus flavanones, a class of antioxidants, to prevent or delay chronic diseases caused by obesity in humans,” said Ferreira.

Researchers also discovered citrus could help people who are not obese⁴ but eat a Western-style diet, she said.

A Western-style diet includes foods with fats and red meat.

Researchers say antioxidants found in fruits and vegetables, such as citrus flavanones, help keep a good balance of chemicals in the bodies of animals that eat a high fat diet, even when they are under stress.

Ferreira said the best way to get antioxidants is to drink them. Millions stay healthy by drinking orange juice each morning.

The experiment by Ferreira and colleagues involved 50 mice. They fed the mice either a normal diet, a high fat diet, or a high fat diet with three flavanones.

Researchers found the mice that ate a high fat diet, but no flavanones, had significantly higher levels of cell damage. The experiment lasted one month.

Researchers now plan to conduct human studies. Researchers want to see whether it is healthier to give citrus flavanones in juice or pill form.

The researchers presented their findings at the American Chemical Society’s annual meeting in Pennsylvania.

Words in This Story

citrus – n. a juicy fruit that has a thick skin and that comes from a tree or shrub⁵ that grows in warm areas

lemon – n. a yellow citrus fruit that has a sour taste

grapefruit – n. a large yellow citrus fruit

chronic – adj. continuing or occurring again and again for a long time

obesity – n. fat in a way that is unhealthy

inflammation – n. a condition in which a part of your body becomes red, swollen⁶, and painful

pill – n. a small, rounded object that you swallow and that contains medicine or vitamins

1 obesity   

n.肥胖，肥大

参考例句：

• One effect of overeating may be obesity.吃得过多能导致肥胖。
• Sugar and fat can more easily lead to obesity than some other foods.糖和脂肪比其他食物更容易导致肥胖。

2 chronic   

adj.(疾病)长期未愈的，慢性的；极坏的

参考例句：

• Famine differs from chronic malnutrition.饥荒不同于慢性营养不良。
• Chronic poisoning may lead to death from inanition.慢性中毒也可能由虚弱导致死亡。

3 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

4 obese   

adj.过度肥胖的，肥大的

参考例句：

• The old man is really obese,it can't be healthy.那位老人确实过于肥胖了，不能算是健康。
• Being obese and lazy is dangerous to health.又胖又懒危害健康。

5 shrub   

n.灌木，灌木丛

参考例句：

• There is a small evergreen shrub on the hillside.山腰上有一小块常绿灌木丛。
• Moving a shrub is best done in early spring.移植灌木最好是在初春的时候。

6 swollen   

adj.肿大的，水涨的；v.使变大，肿胀

参考例句：

• Her legs had got swollen from standing up all day.因为整天站着，她的双腿已经肿了。
• A mosquito had bitten her and her arm had swollen up.蚊子叮了她，她的手臂肿起来了。