當心食物里的智力“殺手”

From+fitnea.com

When it comes to nutrition， it must be mentioned that there are all sorts of foods： some superfoods1） are your greatest allies against extra pounds， while others stimulate your cognitive function2） and improve your memory. On the other hand， some foods are known to have a devastating effect on your brain functioning， and nutritionists advise us to consume them moderately in order to limit their negative impact. Having said that， here are the top 7 foods that kill your intelligence， slowly but surely3）.

一說到營養，必須要提到各種各樣的食物：一些超級食物是幫你應對體重超標的最佳同盟軍，而另一些食物可以激發你的認知功能，提高你的記憶力。另一方面，我們都知道有一些食物會對大腦功能產生破壞性的影響，為了限制其負面影響，營養學家建議我們要適量地攝入這些食物。說到這個話題，下面就是七種最具殺傷力的食物，它們雖然影響緩慢，但一定會損傷你的智力。

1. Sugary Products

Sugar and sugary products are bad not only for your waistline4）， but for your brain function as well. Long-term consumption of sugar can create a lot of neurological problems， and it can also interfere with5） your memory. On the other hand， sugar can also interfere with your ability to learn； this is why it is recommended to avoid pre-baked goods， sugar， corn syrup6） and products that are high in fructose7）.

2. Alcohol

Alcohol is known to harm your liver in the long run， and it also causes what is known as "brain fog". Like the name suggests， the term of brain fog refers to a feeling of mental confusion. It acts like a cloud that impacts your ability to think clearly， as well as your memory. Have you ever noticed that you cannot remember common item names， or you cannot recall certain events or you are not sure whether they were dreams or actually happened？ This might be influenced by high alcohol intake， which impacts the balance of the brain. Fortunately， these symptoms are reversible8） provided that you stop consuming alcohol， or you limit your intake to one or two drinks per week.

3. Junk Food

A recent study performed at the University of Montreal has revealed that junk food can change the chemicals in the brain， thus leading to symptoms associated with depression and anxiety. Besides， foods that are high in fat can also trigger9） some symptoms that are similar to the signs of withdrawal10） when you stop consuming them. These foods affect the production of dopamine11）， an important chemical that promotes happiness and an overall feeling of well-being. Moreover， dopamine also supports the cognitive function， the learning capacity， alertness， motivation， and memory. This is why it is important to avoid all foods that contain excessive fat.endprint

4. Fried Foods

Almost all processed foods contain chemicals， dyes12）， additives， artificial flavors， preservatives13） and such—these can affect the behavior and the cognitive functioning due to the chemical that causes hyperactivity14）， both in children and in adults. Fried or processed foods slowly destroy the nerve cells located in the brain. However， some oils are more dangerous than others—sunflower oil is considered to be among the most toxic ones.

5. Very Salty Foods

Everybody knows that salty foods affect your blood pressure and they are very hard on your heart. However， as research suggests， foods that contain high amounts of salt （sodium15）） can affect your cognitive function and impair16） your ability to think. Otherwise stated17）， salty foods affect your intelligence！ As a matter of fact， the consumption of salty foods has been shown to have the same effect as drugs， as they cause harsh withdrawal symptoms18） and cravings for salty foods.

6. Grain Foods

All sorts of grains have an impact on your brain functioning and your overall health， except for 100% whole grain which is very rich in fiber and it is known to prevent arterial aging19）. If you consume regular grains， your body ages more quickly than it is supposed to， and you can also experience memory loss and brain fog. Having said that， try swapping20） the regular carbohydrates21） for the complex carbohydrates—all you need to do is to opt for whole grain bread！

7. Foods with Processed Proteins

Proteins are the building blocks of muscles and they are very important for the proper functioning of your body. Meat is the richest source of high-quality protein， but avoid overly processed protein such as hot dogs， salami22）， sausages and such. Unlike the natural proteins that help your body insulate the nervous system23）， processed proteins do exactly the opposite. Opt for natural fish （especially tuna and salmon）， dairy， walnuts and seeds as these are natural， high-quality protein sources.

1. 含糖食品

糖和含糖食品不但不利于你保持腰部曲線，而且還會損害你的大腦功能。長期攝入糖會產生許多神經方面的問題，還會影響你的記憶力。另一方面，糖還會影響你的學習能力，這就是為什么說最好要遠離預烘焙食品、糖、玉米糖漿和果糖含量高的食品。

2. 酒精

眾所周知，長期飲酒會損傷肝臟，并且還會導致被稱為“腦霧”的癥狀出現。顧名思義，腦霧這個詞是指一種大腦混亂的感覺。它就像是一團云霧，影響你清晰思考的能力和記憶力。你有沒有注意到你想不起來一些常見物品的名稱，抑或是記不起來某些事情，或不能確定這些事是夢境還是真實發生過？這可能是大量飲酒使大腦的平衡受到了影響而造成的。幸運的是，如果你停止飲酒，或是控制自己每周只喝一兩杯的話，這些癥狀是可以逆轉的。

3. 垃圾食品

最近（編注：本文寫于2013年5月）在蒙特利爾大學進行的一項研究顯示，垃圾食品會改變大腦中的化學物質，從而導致與抑郁和焦慮相關的癥狀出現。除此之外，高脂肪食物還會引發一些癥狀。當你停止食用這類高脂肪食物時，就會產生和戒毒相類似的癥狀。這些食物會影響多巴胺的產生，而多巴胺可是一種能夠提升幸福感并使全身感覺愉悅的重要化學物質。此外，多巴胺還維持著認知功能、學習能力、靈敏度、積極性和記憶力。正因為如此，避免食用一切含有過多脂肪的食物才至關重要。endprint

4. 油炸食品

幾乎所有的加工食品都含有化學物質、著色劑、添加劑、人工香料、防腐劑等——由于這些成分含有造成活動亢進的化學物質，因此會影響兒童和成人的行為和認知功能。油炸或者加工食品會緩慢破壞大腦的神經細胞。不過，一些油類要比其他油類更為危險——葵花油被認為是毒性最大的油類之一。

5. 過咸的食物

眾所周知，咸的食物會影響血壓，對心臟也非常不好。然而，正如研究表明的那樣，含鹽（鈉）高的食物會影響你的認知功能，削弱你的思考能力。還有種說法：含鹽食物會影響你的智力！事實上，吃咸的食物被證實會和吸毒一樣產生同樣的影響，因為過咸的食物會導致嚴重的脫癮癥狀，會讓人很饞咸的食物。

6. 谷類食品

所有谷類食品都會影響你的大腦功能和整體健康，百分之百的全谷物食品例外。它富含纖維素，而且眾所周知可以防止動脈老化。如果你經常吃谷類食品，你的身體會比原本狀態加快老化，還會有健忘和腦霧的癥狀出現。說到這兒，試著把普通的碳水化合物換成復雜的碳水化合物吧——你只需要選擇全麥面包就可以！

7. 加工過的蛋白質食物

蛋白質是構建肌肉的“磚瓦”，而且它們對維持身體的正常功能非常重要。肉類是高質量蛋白質最為豐富的來源，但是應避免食用過度加工過的蛋白質，比如熱狗、薩拉米香腸、臘腸等。天然蛋白質能幫助身體保護神經系統，加工過的蛋白質的作用與天然蛋白質完全相反。選擇天然的魚類（特別是金槍魚和三文魚）、奶制品、核桃以及植物種子類食物吧，因為這些是高質量天然蛋白的來源。

1. superfood [?su?p?fu?d] n. 具有較高營養價值的天然食物

2. cognitive function： 認知功能，是指人們運用智力認識、感知或理解思想、概念等的過程，涉及感知、思考、推斷和記憶的各個方面。

3. slowly but surely： 慢而準地；最后一定成功地

4. waistline [?we?stla?n] n. 腰圍

5. interfere with： 干預，阻撓，妨礙

6. syrup [?s?r?p] n. 糖汁，糖漿（如糖蜜、玉米糖漿、槭糖漿）

7. fructose [?fr?kt??s； ?fr?kt??z] n. 【化】果糖；左旋糖

8. reversible [r??v??s?bl] adj. 可反向的

9. trigger [?tr?ɡ?（r）] vt. 引起

10. withdrawal [w???dr???l； w?θ?dr???l] n. 戒毒（或脫癮）過程

11. dopamine [?d??p?mi?n] n. 【生化】多巴胺

12. dye [da?] n. 染料

13. preservative

[pr??z??v?t?v] n. 防腐劑

14. hyperactivity

[?ha?p?r??kt?v?ti] n. 活動亢進

15. sodium [?s??di?m] n. 【化】鈉

16. impair [?m?pe?（r）] vt. 損害，損傷

17. stated [?ste?t?d] adj. 陳述清楚的；闡明的

18. withdrawal symptoms： [復]戒毒（或脫癮）過程中產生的癥狀（如盜汗、惡心、抑郁等）

19. arterial aging： 動脈老化，是一種老齡化的改變之一，表現為動脈血管床擴大、動脈壁張力和彈性降低、全身動脈壓降低等。arterial [ɑ??t??ri?l] adj. 動脈的

20. swap [sw?p] vt. 交換

21. carbohydrate

[?kɑ?b???ha?dre?t] n. 【生化】碳水化合物，糖類

22. salami [s??lɑ?mi] n. 薩拉米香腸（意大利蒜味香腸）

23. 這里保護神經系統的是髓磷脂（myelin），它是包繞在神經元的軸突外部的物質，由15%～30%的蛋白質和70%～85%的各類脂質組成。髓磷脂會像護套一樣把神經包圍起來，使其與外界絕緣，從而保持神經電信號的完整性。髓磷脂一旦遭到破壞或毀壞時，電信號就會中斷或者短路，神經就會停止正常工作。insulate [??nsjule?t] vt. 隔離；保護

譯 / 袁瑞endprint