英语听力文摘 English Digest 611、为什么我们想要吃零食？

 　　Why Does My Body Want To Snack?

 

　　Sometimes a snack quiets your growling¹ stomach. But sometimes you just feel like munching², even though you’re not really hungry. French researchers recently found that this second type of snack attack is harder on your waistline.

 

　　That’s because when you eat without being hungry, blood sugar and insulin work differently than when you are hungry.

 

　　First, let’s see what happens when you’re hungry. Low blood sugar can trigger that hungry feeling. When you eat, your blood sugar rises, satisfying your hunger and prompting your pancreas to secrete³ insulin. Insulin’s job is to transport sugar from the bloodstream into your body cells. Hours later, after insulin has moved enough sugar into the cells and leveled off, your blood sugar dips and you feel hungry again.

 

　　But let’s say you snack before you feel hungry again. What happens to your blood sugar then? The French study found that if people snacked without being hungry, their blood sugar stayed the same as if they hadn’t snacked at all. Why? Since the pancreas is still secreting⁴ insulin to transport blood sugar from the previous meal, it’s easily stimulated⁵ to secrete a little more insulin.

 

　　People’s insulin levels rose, but their blood sugar stayed the same. So, they got hungry at about their usual time, and ate just as much as when they didn’t snack.

 

　　If you’re like the folks in the study, snacking when you’re hungry is okay. But when you’re not hungry, snacking probably won’t satisfy you or make you eat less later. Instead, it’ll prompt you to loosen that belt a bit.

1 growling   

n.吠声, 咆哮声 v.怒吠, 咆哮, 吼

参考例句：

• We heard thunder growling in the distance. 我们听见远处有隆隆雷声。
• The lay about the deck growling together in talk. 他们在甲板上到处游荡，聚集在一起发牢骚。

2 munching   

v.用力咀嚼（某物），大嚼( munch的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• He was munching an apple. 他在津津有味地嚼着苹果。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Munching the apple as he was, he had an eye for all her movements. 他虽然啃着苹果，但却很留神地监视着她的每一个动作。 来自辞典例句

3 secrete   

vt.分泌；隐匿，使隐秘

参考例句：

• The pores of your body secrete sweat.身上的毛孔分泌汗液。
• Squirrels secrete a supply of nuts for winter.松鼠为准备过冬而藏坚果。

4 secreting   

v.（尤指动物或植物器官）分泌( secrete的现在分词 )；隐匿，隐藏

参考例句：

• It is also an endocrine gland secreting at least two important hormones. 它也是一种内分泌腺，至少分泌二种重要的激素。 来自辞典例句
• And some calcite-secreting organisms also add magnesium to the mix. 有些分泌方解石的生物，会在分泌物中加入镁。 来自互联网

5 stimulated   

a.刺激的

参考例句：

• The exhibition has stimulated interest in her work. 展览增进了人们对她作品的兴趣。
• The award has stimulated her into working still harder. 奖金促使她更加努力地工作。