VOA常速英语2013--亿万肠道细菌助健康（在线收听）

Staying Healthy Takes Guts Full of Microbes 亿万肠道细菌助健康

Everywhere you go, the trillions of microbes in your gut go too. And that's a comforting thought. Because according to a new study, a more diverse population of intestinal bacteria is linked to better health. The work is in the journal Nature. [Emmanuelle Le Chatelier et al, Richness of human gut microbiome correlates with metabolic markers]

无论走到哪儿，你肠道里数以亿万计的细菌都如影随形。据《自然》期刊中一项研究表明，人体内细菌种类越多，越健康。【艾曼纽·李·与夏特里 及其他作者：丰富的肠道细菌促进新陈代谢】

Danish researchers gathered gut microbes from almost 300 obese and non-obese adults. The intestines of roughly one in four participants contained fewer and less diverse bacteria than average. And members of this group were more likely to be obese and to suffer from gut inflammation.

丹麦研究者对300位胖瘦均有的成年人进行研究，从他们体内收集的肠道细菌发现，约四人中有一人肠道细菌在数量上和种类上均低于平均数，这类人更易肥胖或患肠炎。

By looking for only a few specific bacteria, researchers could predict whether a subject fell into the low-diversity group. Certain species could even indicate whether an individual was slim or overweight. And these microbial markers might also serve as signs of future health risks—because low-diversity participants who were obese were more likely to gain additional weight over time.

只需寻找几种特殊菌类，研究者就能预测人体菌类减少与否。某些菌类甚至能预示一个人未来体重变化。研究中含有菌类数量少的人更易长胖。故此类细菌同样是人体健康与否的标志。

But a low-diversity gut won't necessarily doom your health. According to another study in the same journal, it's possible to increase microbial diversity by developing a decent diet. Remember, you’re eating for trillions.

但体内菌类少并不一定意味着不健康。期刊中另一项研究表明，养成良好的饮食习惯，能够增加体内细菌种类。注意：你是为了数以亿万计的细菌在吃饭。

—Sophie Bushwick

[The above text is a transcript of this podcast]

Scientific American is part of the Nature Publishing Group.