新奇事件簿 吃红辣椒帮你更长寿

There is good news for lovers of hot and spicy¹ food – the chili² inside it can help you live longer. Researchers from the University of Vermont College of Medicine in the US have discovered that capsaicin, the active ingredient in hot red chili peppers, may boost the metabolism³, strengthen the cardiovascular system and help reduce high blood pressure and obesity⁴. They said people who regularly ate hot red chili peppers had a 13 per cent reduced risk of premature⁵ death compared with those who did not eat them. They concluded that: "The consumption of hot red chili pepper was associated with reduced mortality. Hot red chili peppers may be a beneficial component⁶ of the diet."

对于热爱辛辣食物的人来说，这是个好消息——食物中的红辣椒可以让你更长寿。来自美国佛蒙特大学医学院的研究人员发现，红辣椒中含有的辣椒素可以促进新陈代谢，增强心血管系统，降低血压和肥胖。他们表示，与不吃红辣椒的人相比，经常吃红辣椒的人早亡的风险可以降低13%。他们得出结论：“吃红辣椒与降低死亡率有关。红辣椒或许可以成为膳食的有益组成部分。”

The researchers surveyed a total of 16,179 adults over a period of six years. Survey participants answered questions on their health, lifestyle, income and eating habits. The researchers analysed the deaths that occurred in the 18 years following the survey. A total of 4,946 of the participants died. Of these, 21.6 per cent regularly consumed chili compared with 33.6 per cent who did not. This led the researchers to believe hot red chili peppers helped prolong life. Britain's National Health Service urged people not to rely on one "superfood" like chili to stay healthier. It said: "Eat a balanced diet high in a variety of fruit and vegetables, limit salt, sugar and saturated⁷ fat, stay active and avoid smoking."

研究人员在六年多的时间里调查了16179名成年人。参加者回答了关于健康，生活习惯，收入和饮食习惯等方面的问题。研究人员分析了调查后18年的时间里发生的死亡。共有4946人死亡。其中，21.6%的人经常吃红辣椒，而33.6%的人不经常吃。这让研究人员相信，吃红辣椒可以延长寿命。英国国民健康服务机构敦促人们不要依赖红辣椒等单一的“超级食物”来改善健康状况。该机构表示：“人们要保证饮食均衡，各种各样的水果蔬菜，限制盐，糖和饱和脂肪的摄入量，多运动，不要抽烟。”

1 spicy   

adj.加香料的；辛辣的，有风味的

参考例句：

• The soup tasted mildly spicy.汤尝起来略有点辣。
• Very spicy food doesn't suit her stomach.太辣的东西她吃了胃不舒服。

2 chili   

n.辣椒

参考例句：

• He helped himself to another two small spoonfuls of chili oil.他自己下手又加了两小勺辣椒油。
• It has chocolate,chili,and other spices.有巧克力粉，辣椒，和其他的调味品。

3 metabolism   

n.新陈代谢

参考例句：

• After years of dieting,Carol's metabolism was completely out of whack.经过数年的节食，卡罗尔的新陈代谢完全紊乱了。
• All living matter undergoes a process of metabolism.生物都有新陈代谢。

4 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。

5 premature   

adj.比预期时间早的；不成熟的，仓促的

参考例句：

• It is yet premature to predict the possible outcome of the dialogue.预言这次对话可能有什么结果为时尚早。
• The premature baby is doing well.那个早产的婴儿很健康。

6 component   

n.组成部分，成分，元件；adj.组成的，合成的

参考例句：

• Each component is carefully checked before assembly.每个零件在装配前都经过仔细检查。
• Blade and handle are the component parts of a knife.刀身和刀柄是一把刀的组成部分。

7 saturated   

a.饱和的，充满的

参考例句：

• The continuous rain had saturated the soil. 连绵不断的雨把土地淋了个透。
• a saturated solution of sodium chloride 氯化钠饱和溶液