(单词翻译:单击)
听力文本
Obesity and Brain Development: Is There a Link?
In the United States, about 25 million children are either overweight or obese.
A new study explored how being overweight or obese might affect brain development in children.
A report on the study appeared this month in JAMA Pediatrics, a publication of the American Medical Association. The writers suggested a link between body mass index, brain development and "executive functions, such as working memory."
An editorial published with the report called the study an important addition to growing evidence of a link between weight, brain structure and mental function. It also warned against misinterpreting the findings.
The study
The study involved 3,190 U.S. boys and girls, aged 9 and 10. Researchers had height and weight measurements and MRI scans of their brains. MRI is short for magnetic resonance imaging, a method used to take pictures of organs and tissues within the body.
The children took computer-based tests of mental function, including memory, language, reasoning and impulse control. Nearly 1,000 of the kids — almost 1 in 3 — were overweight or obese, similar to levels nationwide.
Researchers found differences in the brain scan images of the heaviest children. They observed slightly less volume — the amount of space — in the brain behind the forehead. This area controls what are known as "executive function" tasks. Such tasks include things like planning, controlling impulses and dealing with two or more activities at the same time.
Compared with normal-weight children, the differences were small, noted Scott Mackey, a neuroscientist at the University of Vermont.
The heaviest children also had slightly worse results on the computer-based tests of executive function. But it is unknown whether any of the differences had much of an effect on children's behavior or performance in school. Those are the opinions of Mackey and Jennifer Laurent, a University of Vermont researcher. Laurent was the lead author of the report on the study.
It is also unclear how the differences relate to weight. Mackey said other factors not measured in the study, including physical activity and good nutrition, are likely important.
Research in adults has linked obesity with low-level inflammation throughout the body. The condition can damage blood vessels and may increase risks for heart disease and loss of mental ability.
Some studies have also found less brain volume in obese adults. Researchers suspect that the decreased brain volume could be from inflammation.
The new study raises the possibility that inflammatory changes affecting weight, brain structure and brain function might begin in childhood.
Be careful interpreting the results
Eliana Perrin is a doctor and specialist of children's health at Duke University in North Carolina. She co-wrote the editorial published in JAMA Pediatrics. She says that people should be careful about how they interpret the study.
"We don't know which direction these relationships go nor do they suggest that people with obesity are not as smart as people at a healthy weight," she said.
The latest research confirms results of earlier studies in children and adults, but it leaves many questions unanswered, said Marci Gluck. Gluck is with the U.S. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. She was not part of the research, and warned people against making a link between executive function and intelligence.
Natasha Schvey is an obesity researcher with the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences. She called the study impressive, but noted that many factors influence people's diets and obesity.
"We know from a lot of really good research that obesity is not as much in an individual's control as we think it is. People talk about willpower — that's a very small part of the equation," she said. "There are much bigger contributors to our weight and a lot of it is genetic."
I'm John Russell.
重点解析
重点讲解：
1. be short for 简略的；缩写的；简称的；
'O.O.B.E.' is short for 'Out Of Body Experience'.
O.O.B.E.是Out Of Body Experience（身外体验）的缩略形式。
2. be similar to 相像的；相仿的；类似的；
My opinions are similar to his.
我和他的看法相似。
3. at the same time 同时；
Never before has the industry had to cope with war and recession at the same time.
这个行业以前从未有过必须同时应付战争和萧条的经历。
4. be careful about 当心的；小心的；慎重的；
I think you should be careful about talking of the rebels as heroes.
我觉得你说话应该小心，不能把反叛分子当英雄。
参考译文
肥胖和大脑发育有联系吗？
美国有约2500万儿童超重或肥胖。
一项新研究探讨了超重或肥胖可能会对儿童大脑发育产生的影响。
这项研究的报告发表在本月出版的美国医学会旗下刊物《美国医学会小儿科期刊》上。作者认为，体重指数、大脑发育与“工作记忆等执行功能”之间存在联系。
随报告发表的评论称，有越来越多的证据证明体重、大脑结构和心理机能之间存在联系，而这项研究是对这些证据的重要补充。评论还警告民众不要误解研究结果。
研究
该研究调查了3190名9到10岁的美国男孩和女孩。研究人员测量了他们的身高和体重，并对他们的大脑进行了核磁共振扫描。MRI是磁共振成像的缩写，这种方法用来拍摄体内器官和组织的照片。
参与儿童进行了基于计算机的心理机能测试，包括记忆力、语言、推理和冲动控制。近1000名（近三分之一）儿童超重或肥胖，这与全国水平相似。
研究人员发现，最重儿童的脑部扫描图像存在差异。他们观察到这些儿童额头后面的大脑容量较小。这个区域控制“执行功能”任务。包括计划、冲动控制以及同时处理两项或更多活动。
佛蒙特大学的神经科学家斯科特·麦基指出，与体重正常的儿童相比，差异非常小。
在基于计算机的执行功能测试中，最重儿童的表现也要稍差一些。但目前并不清楚这些差异是否会对儿童在学校的行为或成绩产生重大影响。这是麦基和佛蒙特大学研究员詹妮弗·劳伦特的观点。劳伦特是该研究报告的首席作者。
现在也不清楚这些差异与超重有何联系。麦基表示，身体活动和营养均衡等这项研究未测量的其他因素，可能很重要。
对成年人进行的研究认为肥胖与全身性低度炎症有关。这可能会损害血管，还可能增加心脏病和心智能力丧失的风险。
一些研究还发现，肥胖成年人的脑容量较小。研究人员怀疑脑容量减小可能是炎症造成的。
这项新研究提出了一种可能性，即影响体重、大脑结构和大脑功能的炎症变化可能始于儿童时期。
谨慎解读研究结果
伊莲娜·佩林是北卡罗来纳州杜克大学的儿童健康医生兼专家。她也是《美国医学会小儿科期刊》上发表的那篇评论的联合作者。她表示，人们应对如何解读这项研究保持谨慎。
她说：“我们不知道这些联系会向哪个方向发展，它们也未表明肥胖者不如体重正常者聪明。”
玛西·格鲁克表示，最新研究证实了对儿童和成年人进行的早期研究的结果，但仍有许多问题没有解决。格鲁克来自美国国立糖尿病与消化系统和肾脏疾病研究所。她并未参与这项研究，她警告人们不要在执行功能与智力之间建立联系。
娜塔莎·施维是健康科学统一服务大学的肥胖症研究员。她称这项研究令人印象深刻，但同时指出，许多因素会影响人们的饮食和肥胖。
她说：“我们从许多非常优秀的研究中得知，肥胖并不像我们认为的那样受个人控制。人们所说的意志力，只是很小一部分原因。导致体重增加的重要因素还有很多，很大程度上与遗传有关。”
约翰·罗塞尔报道。
译文为可可英语翻译，未经授权请勿转载！
