新奇事件簿 研究发现孩子不吃青菜原因

Everyone knows that many young children don't like eating their greens. Parents have a hard time getting their children to eat vegetables like broccoli¹ and Brussel sprouts². A new study may have an answer about why this is. The study looked at the eating habits of two- to four-year-olds. It found that not liking³ greens is because of a child's genes⁴. This means parents do not have to stress out over their children not eating enough vegetables. Many parents worry because they cannot get their children to eat healthily. The study found that changes in two genes can make children dislike greens. The changes put some youngsters off trying new food and can turn them into fussy⁵ eaters.

每个人都知道，许多小孩子不喜欢吃青菜。家长们总是煞费苦心地让孩子吃花椰菜和布鲁塞尔豆芽等蔬菜。一项最新研究对这种现象可能给出了答案。这项研究查看了2到4岁幼儿的饮食习惯。研究发现，不喜欢吃青菜是由于儿童的基因。这意味着家长不必因为孩子没有摄入足够的青菜而倍感压力。许多家长因为没让孩子吃得更健康而担心。这项研究发现，两个基因的改变会让孩子们不喜欢青菜。这些改变让一些幼儿不想尝试新食物，导致他们挑食。

The study found that changes in DNA⁶ can affect how some small children taste things differently. These children think many green vegetables taste very bitter. Children without the DNA changes do not think these vegetables are bitter. Natasha Cole, a member of an obesity⁷ prevention program at Illinois University, said it was not surprising some children have very a sensitive taste. She said this makes them think things like broccoli are bitter. She said the new research could help to find new ways of tackling childhood obesity. Ms Cole says there needs to be more research. She said: "There is a huge gap in the research when children [move] from a milk-based diet to foods that the rest of the family eats."

这项研究发现，DNA的改变会影响一些幼儿对食物的不同味觉。这些儿童认为许多青菜味道很苦。没有这种DNA改变的人不会觉得青菜是苦的。伊利诺伊大学一个肥胖预防项目成员Natasha Cole表示，一些儿童的味觉非常敏感，这并不奇怪。她说，这让他们认为花椰菜等蔬菜是苦的。她说，这项新的研究找出了解决儿童肥胖问题的新途径。Cole女士表示，现在还需要更多研究。她说：“关于何时儿童可以从牛奶口味的食品转向家里其他人喜欢吃的食品，还需要很多研究。”

1 broccoli   

n.绿菜花，花椰菜

参考例句：

• She grew all the broccoli plants from seed.这些花椰菜都是她用种子培育出来的。
• They think broccoli is only green and cauliflower is only white.他们认为西兰花只有绿色的，而菜花都是白色的。

2 sprouts   

n.新芽，嫩枝( sprout的名词复数 )v.发芽( sprout的第三人称单数 )；抽芽；出现；（使）涌现出

参考例句：

• The wheat sprouts grew perceptibly after the rain. 下了一场雨，麦苗立刻见长。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• The sprouts have pushed up the earth. 嫩芽把土顶起来了。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

3 liking   

n.爱好；嗜好；喜欢

参考例句：

• The word palate also means taste or liking.Palate这个词也有“口味”或“嗜好”的意思。
• I must admit I have no liking for exaggeration.我必须承认我不喜欢夸大其词。

4 genes   

n.基因( gene的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• You have good genes from your parents, so you should live a long time. 你从父母那儿获得优良的基因，所以能够活得很长。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Differences will help to reveal the functions of the genes. 它们间的差异将会帮助我们揭开基因多种功能。 来自英汉非文学 - 生命科学 - 生物技术的世纪

5 fussy   

adj.为琐事担忧的，过分装饰的，爱挑剔的

参考例句：

• He is fussy about the way his food's cooked.他过分计较食物的烹调。
• The little girl dislikes her fussy parents.小女孩讨厌她那过分操心的父母。

6 DNA   

(缩)deoxyribonucleic acid 脱氧核糖核酸

参考例句：

• DNA is stored in the nucleus of a cell.脱氧核糖核酸储存于细胞的细胞核里。
• Gene mutations are alterations in the DNA code.基因突变是指DNA密码的改变。

7 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。