压力为什么能让你变胖？

Why stress makes you fat

Have you ever had a stressful day? Many people do in the course of their daily lives. And on these high-pressure days, they might find themselves reaching for a sugary snack. Perhaps this is part of their daily routine. Or perhaps on this particular day, their self-control is a bit low and they feel compelled to take a sugar hit.

你有过压力很大的一天吗？许多人在日常生活中或许都有这样的时候。这样的日子里，他们可能会想吃甜食。也许这是他们平常就是喜欢吃甜食；亦或者也许他们的自控力因为压力降低了，觉得有必要吃些甜食缓解一下。

Stress is natural. That feeling of strain or pressure is a biological response, and under the right circumstances can be a great source of motivation. However, too much stress, especially chronic stress, has been linked to sleep disruption, a higher likelihood of a stroke, heart-attack, ulcer or depression, among other things. But why should stress make a person comfort eat?

压力是自然反应。这种紧张或压迫感是一种生物反应，在适当的环境下可以成为动力的一大来源。然而，过多的压力尤其是慢性压力，会致使睡眠中断、中风、心脏病发作、溃疡或抑郁症等疾病的高发。但是为什么压力会让人舒服地吃东西呢？

Dr Giles Yeo, a member of the BBC's Trust Me, I'm a Doctor team, got together with scientists from Leeds University to conduct an experiment into the effect of stress on blood sugar. Dr Yeo was subjected to a stress test. In the first stage, he was forced to answer mathematical questions rapidly. In the second, he had to immerse his hand in a bath of ice-cold water for a period of time.

英国广播公司Trust Me, I'm a Doctor team栏目的成员之一杨吉尔博士和利兹大学的科学家们一起进行了一项关于压力对血糖影响的实验，并且杨博士亲身参与了实验。在第一阶段，他被要求快速地回答数学问题。第二阶段，他要把手浸入冰水中一段时间。

Before and after these tests, the Leeds scientists would measure Dr Yeo's blood sugar levels. These are the levels which rise when we eat as our body takes in the energy of the food. In a healthy person, these levels quickly return to normal.However, when Dr Yeo was being deliberately subjected to stress, his blood sugar took six times longer to drop than on a stress-free day.

利兹大学的科学家们测量了杨博士在参加实验之前和之后的血糖水平。我们进食时，身体会吸收食物的能量，血糖水平就会上升。在健康人体内，这些水平会很快恢复正常。然而，当杨博士被故意施加压力时，他的血糖恢复时间是正常的六倍。

When we become stressed, our bodies enter 'fight or flight' mode. Because our body believes it's under attack, it releases glucose into the blood to provide energy for muscles. However, if we don't use that energy, our body then releases insulin to make the blood sugar levels drop. This drop causes a hunger response: you want to eat. And what you particularly crave is sugary food, which rapidly replenishes the energy you have lost. If this happens repeatedly, over a long enough period, these high-calorie foods can lead to obesity.

当我们感到压力时，我们的身体进入“战斗或逃跑”模式。因为身体认为自己受到了攻击，它会向血液中释放葡萄糖，为肌肉提供能量。然而，如果我们不使用这些能量，我们的身体就会释放胰岛素，这时血糖水平就会下降。这种血糖下降会引起饥饿：想吃东西。而且这时特别想吃甜食，因为它能迅速补充你失去的能量。如果长时间重复这种情况，这些高热量的食物就会导致肥胖。

So what can we do to combat the stress? In an article for the BBC, Dr Michael Mosley recommends 'stress-busting' techniques, like exercise, gardening, mindfulness or another activities that you enjoy. But his strongest recommendation is trying to get a good night's sleep. A recent study carried out by researchers at King's College, London found that if you deprived people of sleep, they would consume, on average, an extra 385kcal per day, which is equivalent to the calories in a large muffin. So, try sleeping to decrease stress, and as a result make it easier to keep yourself a little trimmer.

那么我们能做些什么来对抗压力呢？在为英国广播公司(BBC)撰写的一篇文章中，MichaelMosley博士推荐了一些“减压”技巧，比如锻炼、做园艺、正念或进行其它你喜欢的活动。但他最强烈的建议是晚上睡个好觉。伦敦国王学院的研究人员最近进行的一项研究发现，如果减少睡眠时间，人体平均每天会多消耗385千卡，这相当于一个大松饼所含的热量。所以，试着通过睡觉来解压，这还能让你更容易保持苗条。
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