Is Pasta Good for You?

Is Pasta Good for You?

From VOA Learning English, this is the Health & Lifestyle report.

The Italian actress Sophia Loren reportedly once said, “Everything you see I owe to spaghetti.”

What we see is her great figure – a figure she credits to eating pasta.

But many people consider pasta bad for maintaining a healthy weight. Modern food experts often suggest avoiding pasta and other carbohydrates¹, such as white rice and potatoes.

That suggestion is bad news to many people. After all, rice is a staple³ of many Asian countries; potatoes are a staple of some Eastern European diets; and pasta is a staple of the Italian diet and a favorite of people everywhere.

These foods are also called comfort foods. A comfort food reminds you of home and, well, comforts you.

But now, a new study brings great news to pasta lovers around the world. The study suggests that pasta doesn't make you fat. In fact, the study says pasta may even reduce the chances of obesity⁴. In other words, pasta may make it less likely you will become very overweight.

We should note that this research was done in Italy, where eating pasta is very common.

Mediterranean⁵ diet and moderation

The pasta researchers analyzed⁶ the diets of more than 23,000 people. They published their findings in the journal Nutrition and Diabetes⁷.

The researchers note that pasta is part of a traditional Mediterranean diet. Many studies have shown that a Mediterranean diet reduces the risk of heart attack and stroke. However, this study specifically looked at the role that pasta plays.

Pasta, the researchers found, "contributes to a healthy body mass index (BMI), lower waist circumference⁸ and better waist-hip ratio." (Again, think of Sophia Loren.)

Licia Iacoviello is the head of the Laboratory of Molecular⁹ and Nutritional¹⁰ Epidemiology at the Institute for Research, Hospitalization and Health Care in Pozzilli, Italy. Researchers at this institute conducted the study.

Iacoviello says that the popular view these days is that pasta is not a good choice when you want to lose weight. She adds that “some people completely ban it from their meals."

But, she says, "In light of this research, we can say that this is not a correct attitude."

However, before you help yourself to a big plate of spaghetti and meatballs, you should know this: eating too much pasta will not provide the benefits researchers describe.

Iacoviello warns that pasta should be eaten in moderation. And, she says, it should be part of a diet that includes a variety of common Mediterranean foods such as fresh vegetables and fruits, grains, nuts, olive oil and legumes.

In fact, a different study shows that even the fatty foods in the Mediterranean diet are healthy. These fats include olive oil, nuts, avocados, eggs or fatty fish. The Mediterranean diet is light on meat and dairy.

The lead researcher of the study on fats in the Mediterranean diet is Dr. Hanna Bloomfield. She says that people who eat “a Mediterranean diet with no restriction¹¹ on the fat they eat “have a lower risk of cardiovascular disease, breast cancer, and type 2 diabetes.”

For this study reviewed results of more than 300 previous studies on the health benefits of a Mediterranean diet.

The combination of these two studies seem to suggest that eating a Mediterranean diet is not only good tasting but good for you.

Words in This Story

figure – n. bodily shape or form especially of a person and usually a female <a slender figure>

carbohydrate² – n. any one of various substances found in certain foods (such as bread, rice, and potatoes) that provide your body with heat and energy and are made of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen

staple – n. a commodity for which the demand is constant : something having widespread and constant use or appeal : the sustaining or principal element

comfort food – n. food that is satisfying because it is prepared in a simple or traditional way and reminds you of home, family, or friends

moderation – n. an amount that is neither too much nor too little

body mass index – n. a measurement that shows the amount of fat in your body and that is based on your weight and height

circumference – n. the external boundary or surface of a figure or object

ratio – n. the relationship that exists between the size, number, or amount of two things and that is often represented by two numbers

1 carbohydrates   

n.碳水化合物，糖类( carbohydrate的名词复数 )；淀粉质或糖类食物

参考例句：

• The plant uses the carbohydrates to make cellulose. 植物用碳水化合物制造纤维素。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• All carbohydrates originate from plants. 所有的碳水化合物均来自植物。 来自辞典例句

2 carbohydrate   

n.碳水化合物；糖类；(plural)淀粉质或糖类

参考例句：

• You should not have too much carbohydrate in your diet.你日常饮食中不该有过多碳水化合物。
• Cashew nuts are rich in carbohydrate.腰果含丰富碳水化合物。

3 staple   

n.主要产物，常用品，主要要素，原料，订书钉，钩环；adj.主要的，重要的；vt.分类

参考例句：

• Tea is the staple crop here.本地产品以茶叶为大宗。
• Potatoes are the staple of their diet.土豆是他们的主要食品。

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 Mediterranean   

adj.地中海的；地中海沿岸的

参考例句：

• The houses are Mediterranean in character.这些房子都属地中海风格。
• Gibraltar is the key to the Mediterranean.直布罗陀是地中海的要冲。

6 analyzed   

v.分析( analyze的过去式和过去分词 )；分解；解释；对…进行心理分析

参考例句：

• The doctors analyzed the blood sample for anemia. 医生们分析了贫血的血样。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The young man did not analyze the process of his captivation and enrapturement, for love to him was a mystery and could not be analyzed. 这年轻人没有分析自己蛊惑著迷的过程，因为对他来说，爱是个不可分析的迷。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 diabetes   

n.糖尿病

参考例句：

• In case of diabetes, physicians advise against the use of sugar.对于糖尿病患者，医生告诫他们不要吃糖。
• Diabetes is caused by a fault in the insulin production of the body.糖尿病是由体內胰岛素分泌失调引起的。

8 circumference   

n.圆周，周长，圆周线

参考例句：

• It's a mile round the circumference of the field.运动场周长一英里。
• The diameter and the circumference of a circle correlate.圆的直径与圆周有相互关系。

9 molecular   

adj.分子的；克分子的

参考例句：

• The research will provide direct insight into molecular mechanisms.这项研究将使人能够直接地了解分子的机理。
• For the pressure to become zero, molecular bombardment must cease.当压强趋近于零时，分子的碰撞就停止了。

10 nutritional   

adj.营养的，滋养的

参考例句：

• A diet lacking in nutritional value will not keep a person healthy.缺乏营养价值的饮食不能维持人的健康。
• The labels on food products give a lot of information about their nutritional content.食品上的标签提供很多关于营养成分的信息。

11 restriction   

n.限制，约束

参考例句：

• The park is open to the public without restriction.这个公园对公众开放，没有任何限制。
• The 30 mph speed restriction applies in all built-up areas.每小时限速30英里适用于所有建筑物聚集区。