西蘭花如何幫助身體應對空氣污染

Eat your broccoli, it's good for you. More specifically--and not incidentally if you live in China--it can apparently help your body better deal with air pollution.

吃西蘭花吧，它有益於身體健康。如果在中國生活的話，更要吃西蘭花了，因爲西蘭花可以提高機體應對空氣污染的能力。

According to a study published this week by the journal Cancer Prevention Research, an experiment conducted in eastern China's Jiangsu province found that feeding villagers beverages concocted from broccoli sprouts had various salutary effects, including helping the body to more speedily eliminate ingested air pollutants. The study was conducted by researchers from John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, as well as the University of Minnesota's Masonic Cancer Center, among others.

《癌症預防研究》(Cancer Prevention Research)期刊本週發佈的一項研究稱，在中國東部江蘇省進行的一項試驗發現，讓村民飲用西蘭花芽調製的飲料好處多多，其中包括幫助身體更迅速地排除吸入的空氣污染物。這項試驗是由約翰霍普金斯大學彭博公共衛生學院(John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health)和明尼蘇達大學(University of Minnesota)的共濟會癌症中心(Masonic Cancer Center)的研究人員共同實施的。

The beverage--essentially a tea made out of boiled sprouts--was provided daily for 12 weeks to 291 adults as part of a randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial. Study participants were drawn from the rural township of Hehe in the Yangtze River delta region, an area researchers chose in part because of its heavy levels of air pollution, something that they say is associated with a higher risk for lung and heart disease. Though the delta region, which includes Shanghai, comprises just 2% of China's total area, it contributes at least 15% of its countrywide greenhouse gas emissions, they note.

這種飲料本質上是由煮熟的西蘭花芽所製成的一種茶。作爲這項隨機的安慰劑對照臨牀試驗的一部分，291名成年人連續12周每日飲用這種茶。參與試驗的人來自長江三角洲地區的和合鎮。研究人員之所以選擇該鎮進行試驗是因爲當地污染嚴重，研究人員稱肺病及心臟疾病的患病率上升與環境污染有關。他們稱，雖然長江三角洲的面積只佔中國總面積的2%，但溫室氣體排放量卻至少佔到了全國溫室氣體排放量的15%。

Can diet really help change your susceptibility to pollution? According to researchers, eating broccoli sprouts 'enhances the detoxication of some airborne pollutants and may provide a frugal means to attenuate their associated long-term health risks.'

飲食真的可以改變機體受污染影響的程度嗎？研究人員稱，吃西蘭花芽可以提高機體對某些空氣污染物的解毒能力，這或許可以提供一種廉價的方式，用來降低居民面臨的長期健康風險。

That said, it's obviously no cure-all for those living under China's smoggy skies. 'The ultimate answer [to China's pollution] lies in Beijing with the policymakers,' said Thomas Kensler, who holds professorships at John Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health as well as the University of Pittsburgh and was the leader of the study.

但話又說回來，對於生活在中國霧霾空氣中的人們，顯然並不存在解決這一問題的靈丹妙藥。肯斯勒(Thomas Kensler)說，中國污染問題的最終解決辦法掌握在決策者手中。肯斯勒是約翰霍普金斯大學彭博公共衛生學院和匹茲堡大學(University of Pittsburgh)的教授，也是本次試驗的負責人。

Still, Mr. Kensler said he is hopeful that more research can help further explore the ways diet might be able to help people strengthen their resistance to pollution. 'We think this can contribute to potential solutions,' he said.

不過肯斯勒表示，希望更多研究可以進一步探索利用飲食抵抗污染的方式。他說，他們認爲這有助於找到潛在解決辦法。

If you're not someone who keeps a ready supply of broccoli sprouts at home, Mr. Kensler notes that regular broccoli sold at supermarkets also contains the key molecule, sulforaphane, though in considerably lower quantities. 'The more bitter your broccoli, perhaps the better,' he said, adding that one would have to consume roughly 150 grams of broccoli in order to consume the same amount of sulforaphane contained in three grams of broccoli sprouts.

肯斯勒指出，如果沒有西蘭花芽，超市裏賣的西蘭花也含有這種關鍵的物質蘿蔔硫素，不過含量相對較低。他說，西蘭花越苦，蘿蔔硫素含量越高。他還說，大約150克西蘭花中所含的蘿蔔硫素才與3克西蘭花芽中的含量相當。

The study wasn't without its mild hiccups: according to the paper, 'unacceptable taste and mild stomach discomfort were the common complaints.' Researchers said the addition of pineapple juice and lime juice, though, helped mask some of the less appealing aspects of the broccoli flavor.

但這項研究成果也有不足之處。研究報告稱，飲用者普遍抱怨這種茶口感不好，飲用後胃部略感不適。研究人員稱，在茶中加入菠蘿汁和青檸汁可以遮蓋一部分西蘭花芽的味道。