減肥總是失敗,這是你的基因決定的示例
Following up on earlier discoveries of an additional gustatory sense specific to complex carbohydrates, researchers have now found some of us more sensitive to the taste than others, which could be helping to fill out some of our waistlines.
繼此前發現人類對於複雜碳水化合物擁有特別的味覺，研究人員現在已經發現我們中的某些人在味覺上比其他人更敏感，這可能是導致這部分人肥胖的原因。Scientists are now pretty certain our tastebuds can actually detect the long chains of sugar making up the complex starches found in food items such as bread, pasta, and rice.
現如今，科學家們相當肯定的是，我們的味蕾可以實際檢測到糖的長鏈，而糖分是麪包、意麪和米飯等食品中的複合澱粉的組成部分。So even though we still only have five 'official' tastes, we can actually list the sensations caused by chemicals dissolving in our mouth as sweet, salty, umami (savoury, meaty flavours), bitter, fat, sour, and... starchy.
即使目前“官方”說法只有五種口味，實際上我們可以把溶解在嘴裏的化學物質所引起的感覺列舉爲甜、鹹、鮮（可口、肉味）、苦、酸、脂肪味、酸，以及澱粉味等等。
Taste sensitivity varies significantly across the population. So-called 'supertasters' experience far more intense flavour sensations. And a little more than a quarter of us – depending on our genetic background – can't even taste a compound called phenylthiourea.
不同人的口味敏感度差別很大。所謂的“超級味覺者”能夠比常人品嚐到更強烈的味道。另外，取決於基因差異，我們中四分之一以上的人甚至嘗不出一種叫做苯硫脲的化合物。Since our individual tasting talents vary, researchers from Deakin University in Australia were keen to put the discovery about starchy tastes to the population test.
正由於每個人的味覺天賦不同，澳大利亞迪肯大學的研究人員熱衷於將澱粉味這一發現納入人口測試。A group of 34 adults had their bodies measured and diets detailed before and after they participated in a number of tasting sessions.
34名成年人在參加一些品嚐會前後都分別被測量了身體，並記錄了詳細的飲食習慣。Each subject was given solutions of a starch called maltodextrin and the soluble fibre oligofructose in different concentrations - to determine their range of sensitivities.
每個受試者都嘗試了不同濃度的麥芽糖糊精澱粉溶液和水溶性纖維低聚果糖，用來確定其味覺敏感度範圍。Adding up the numbers, it was clear some volunteers were better at spotting whether they were sipping starch or fibre at low concentrations.
隨着受試數量增加，很明顯，溶液濃度較低的情況下，只有一部分志願者能更好地辨認出自己是否嚐到了澱粉或纖維。On analysing the data, those who were more starch-sensitive weren't found to be bigger than the rest, having roughly the same body mass indexes.
數據分析顯示，對澱粉敏感性較高的人羣，其體重並沒有超出其他人羣，體質指數與其他人大致相當。But their diets were higher in calories. And there was one other significant difference.
但他們的飲食習慣顯示攝入的熱量更高。此外還有一個顯著的差異。"Those who were most sensitive to the carbohydrate taste ate more of these foods and had a larger waist."
“那些對碳水化合物味道最敏感的人攝入這類食物更多，腰圍更粗。”
While numerous factors determine how fat builds up around our bellies, the study's results suggest an ability to taste – and presumably enjoy – sugars in the form of starch make it that little bit harder for some to lose the spare tyre.
雖然許多因素決定了脂肪在腹部堆積，但研究結果表明，能能夠嘗澱粉或者可能喜歡澱粉形式的糖的一部分人，更不容易減去腹部的肥肉。Excess amounts of abdominal fat is largely considered 'the worst of the worst' when it comes to weight gain, especially where our heart is concerned.
提到體重增加，腹部脂肪過多往往被認爲是“不幸中的不幸”，特別又會影響到我們的心臟。"Increased energy intake, in particular greater intakes of energy-dense foods, is thought to be one of the major contributors to the global rise of overweight and obesity, and carbohydrates represent a major source of energy in our diet," says the study's lead researcher Russell Keast.
該研究的負責人拉塞爾·吉斯特表示：“能源攝入量增加，特別是能量密度較高的食物攝入量增加被認爲是全球超重和肥胖增長的主要原因之一，而碳水化合物是我們飲食中主要的能量來源。”
