As you bite into a juicy steak, is your enjoyment tempered by a nagging thought that all that red meat is damaging your health? Well that guilty feeling may soon be a thing of the past.
For
scientists have discovered why eating too much red meat can harm your heart -
and think they may be able to solve the problem.They have worked out the mechanism by which nutrients in beef, pork or lamb
are transformed into molecules which harden
and narrow the arteries.
當你嘗一口鮮美多汁的牛排時，享受的同時卻也想到這些紅肉對你的健康有害？
科學家們已經發現，為何吃太多紅肉對你的心臟有害，而且他們認為這是可以解決的問題。他們摸索出了這些在牛肉ˋ豬肉或羊肉內的營養物質會轉化為分子，而這些分子 會使動脈縮小ˋ變硬。
* mechanism(n)結構方式
* molecular(n)分子
* artery(n)動脈
The U.S.
discovery creates the possibility of a treatment that would slow down or stop
the harmful process, making red meat perfectly healthy to eat.
Research
leader Dr Stanley Hazen, from the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio, said that one day
people may be able to ‘have their steak and eat it too’, without worrying about
heart disease.
His team
found the root of the problem is found in the way one compound
found in meat is broken down by bacteria
in the gut.One
nutrient - called L-carnitine - is transformed into metabolites
that contribute to the build-up of hard fat on the walls of blood vessels,
raising the risk of heart attacks and strokes.
美國的發現創建了一個治療的可能性，可以減慢或停止有害的過程，使得紅肉可以讓人吃得健健康康。研究負責的醫生Stanley Hazen（來自俄亥俄州克里夫蘭的診所）指出：有一天人們或許可以”有自己的牛排吃”，還不用擔心心臟疾病。
他的研究小組發現了問題的根源在於肉類中有一種在腸道被細菌分解化合物。
這是一種叫做左旋肉鹼的營養物質，轉化為代謝物有助於血管壁上的積聚硬脂肪，提高了心臟發作和中風的風險。
* compound(n)化合物
* bacteria(n)細菌
* gut(n)腸,腸道,消化道
* metabolite(n)代謝物
* stroke(n)中風
Scientists
already knew that red meat could be transformed into a substance called
trimethylamine-N-oxide, which causes problems with arteries.But the
new research, published last night in the Cell Metabolism, discovered another
harmful substance that is produced at rates 1,000 times higher.
The newly
discovered chemical, called gamma-butyrobetaine, is naturally produced by
bacteria which process the L-carnitine nutrient.The
finding, discovered by the researchers after experiments in mice, creates the
prospect of a healthy way to eat meat.
科學家們已經知道，紅肉有可能轉化為一種叫做三甲胺-N-氧化物的物質，而此種物質會造成動脈的問題。但是，昨晚出來的新研究－細胞代謝，發現另一種產生更高危險的有害物質。
一個名為gamma-butyrobetaine的化學物，它會自然地從製造左旋肉鹼的細菌產生。這個發現，在研究人員進行小鼠實驗後，創造了健康吃肉方式的前景。
They think they may be able to reduce the
health impacts by targeting the bacteria that turn the meat into harmful
compounds. That could be as simple as taking a probiotic compound - such as that found in yoghurt
or drinks - which changes the balance of bacteria in the gut.
Research into providing a solution has not
yet started, so may be some way off, but the scientists are confident that it
is at least a possibility now they have found the root of the problem.
他們認為可以透過針對那些把肉片轉變成有害化合物的細菌，減少對健康的影響。 這可能很簡單，例如服用益生菌複合物（在優格或飲料中）改變細菌在腸道中的平衡。
這項研究雖然提供了一個解決方案，但還沒有開始，所以仍有些遙遠，不過科學家們相信它至少是一種可能性，而且他們已經找到了問題的根源。
* probiotic(n)益生菌優酪乳
Dr Hazen said: ‘The findings identify the
pathways and participants involved more clearly, and help identify targets for therapies for interventions
to block or prevent heart disease
development.
‘While this is into the future, the present
studies may help us to develop an intervention that allows one to “have their
steak and eat it too” with less concern for developing heart disease.’
Hazen醫生說：這項發現使途徑更清晰，使參與者更清楚，並幫助確定療法和干預的目標，以阻止或預防心臟疾病的發展。
“在未來，這個研究可以幫助我們開發一個干預措施，讓我們可以”有自己的牛排且可以吃”，而不用擔憂心臟疾病。”
* therapy(n)治療,療法
* intervention(n)干預措施
* block(v) 阻擋
ex. A fallen tree is blocking the road. 一棵倒下的樹擋住了路。
ex. A fallen tree is blocking the road. 一棵倒下的樹擋住了路。
文章連結：
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2820621/Dream-gorging-juicy-steak-guilt-free-Scientists-discover-red-meat-bad-heart-SOLVE-problem.html
