纪录片《饮食变迁》 第33期:肥胖是进化的根源（在线收听）

This could explain why large parts of the

这就可以解释 为什么大多数人

population have a tendency to lay down fat stores easily.

都有易于储存脂肪的倾向

It's only very recently in

这是个在人类历史上

human history that this has become a problem.

近期才显露的问题

Now, the feast is constant.

现在 食物充足才是常态

You have food available every corner,

我们随处都可以找到食物

very cheap, very palatable,

价格不贵而且美味可口

and this is really a perfect mixture

综合以上情况

to provide the expression of these

那些基因就会表现为

genes and confer obesity and weight gain to these people.

人们的肥胖以及体重增加

So if evolution was selecting for fatness,

如果说肥胖是进化的选择

the question remained as

那么依然存在一个问题

to what was compelling those individuals to put on the pounds.

是什么在迫使着人们增加体重

Scientists suddenly clocked that maybe what they should

科学家忽然注意到 也许他们应该

be looking at was what was

关注究竟是什么

driving us to eat so much - our appetite.

在促使我们不断进食 即我们的食欲

Proving its importance was a different matter.

证明它的重要性则是另外一回事

But what followed was a

接下来要说的

complex tale of scientific detective work,

是一个复杂的科学探索工作故事

involving a German boy with

这其中包括一个

an unusual brain condition and a fat mouse.

大脑与众不同的德国男孩 和一只肥老鼠

The idea that there's an evolutionary-based,

生物渴望食物是基于进化本能

biological drive to eat is clearly an interesting idea.

是有生物性驱力的 这是个有趣的设想

But until recently, it just remained that, just an idea.

不过在不久之前 这还仅仅是一个设想

Most people believed that our appetites were controlled

大多数人都相信 我们的食欲是完全被

entirely by willpower and voluntary action.

毅力和自主行为控制着的

We've discovered in the last few

我们近几年才发现

years that our brains are actually hard-wired to eat.

我们的大脑对食物有着根深蒂固的渴望