凜冬將至:突發感冒時應該吃什麼

The sneezing. The coughing. The lethargy. It's enough to make a cold sufferer's appetite disappear completely. Studies show that certain foods can help alleviate the symptoms of a common cold-and sometimes shorten its duration. One expert, Sharon Horesh Bergquist, assistant professor at Emory School of Medicine and a primary-care physician with a specialty in internal medicine at Emory Healthcare, offers her take on what to eat and what to avoid.-Heidi Mitchell.打噴嚏，咳嗽，無精打采，這些足以讓一位感冒患者胃口全無。研究顯示，某些食品可以幫助緩解普通感冒症狀，有時還可以縮短病程。埃默裏大學醫學院(Emory School of Medicine)助理教授、埃默裏醫療集團(Emory Healthcare)內科初級治療醫師伯奎斯特(Sharon Horesh Bergquist)是這方面的專家。她提供了有關感冒飲食和禁忌的建議。

Dairy Decoded
爲乳製品平反
The most common misconception about a cold, says Dr. Bergquist, is that dairy should be avoided because it increases mucus production. The belief likely hails, she says, from the fact that when saliva comes into contact with any high-fat drink, it can mimic mucus.
伯奎斯特說，對感冒最常見的一個錯誤觀念是應該避免食用乳製品，因爲乳製品會使粘液分泌增多。她說，這種觀念可能來源於這樣一個事實：當唾液與任何高脂飲料接觸時，都會產生類似於粘液的感覺。
Australian scientists debunked that assumption in a series of 1990s studies where they gave hundreds of common-cold patients either cow's milk or soy milk, and found no difference in mucus production between the two groups.
在上世紀90年代的一系列研究中，幾位澳大利亞科學家駁斥了這一說法。在研究中，他們讓數百名普通感冒患者飲用牛奶或豆奶，結果發現兩組患者粘液分泌量沒有差異。
A body needs hydration when it is sick, says Dr. Bergquist. 'So if your beverage of choice is a latté, that counts as hydration.'
伯奎斯特說，人生病時需要多喝水。如果你選擇的飲料是拿鐵，那也可以算作是在補水。

Cocktail as Cure?
雞尾酒治感冒？
Just make sure the latté is decaf, since any diuretic, such as caffeine, can promote dehydration, which usually worsens a cold. 'When you're hydrated, your mucus membranes are lubricated, which will help you feel better,' says Dr. Bergquist.
只要確保拿鐵是無咖啡因的，因爲咖啡因等利尿劑都能促進脫水，而脫水通常會令感冒加重。伯奎斯特說，當你水分充足時，你的粘膜是潤滑的，這會讓你感覺舒服些。
She puts alcohol, also a diuretic, in a 'mixed' category. 'Mild inebriation can cause pain e the hot toddy and brandy cure,' she says. But while liquor may temporarily relieve symptoms, it, too, can cause dehydration.
她把同樣有利尿效果的酒類歸爲“作用好壞參半”一類。她說，微醉能夠緩解疼痛……所以熱棕櫚酒和白蘭地有治療效果。但儘管酒類可能暫時緩解症狀，它也能導致脫水。

'Mom's Penicillin'
媽媽的盤尼西林
Chicken soup may have benefits even beyond the hot liquid and vapors that open sinuses and lubricate mucus membranes. Studies suggest that the chicken and vegetables themselves inhibit the mobilization of neutrophils, immune cells that are the main culprit in causing inflammatory symptoms like stuffy nose and aching bones, says Dr. Bergquist.
雞湯可能還有別的好處，而不止是熱熱的液體和蒸汽可以打開鼻竇，潤滑粘膜。伯奎斯特說，研究表明，雞肉和蔬菜本身可以阻止中性粒細胞的移動。中性粒細胞是一種免疫細胞，是導致鼻塞和骨頭痠痛等炎症的罪魁禍首。
Spices, especially pungent ones like hot peppers, can also help open sinus passages and provide short-term relief. But no one spice has been scientifically proven better than any other, says Dr. Bergquist.
辣椒等尤其辛辣的調味料也能幫助打開竇道，提供短期的緩解。伯奎斯特說，但科學上還沒有證明有哪一種調味料是最好的。

Go Steady on the C
定期服用維生素C
According to the most recent review of studies on vitamin C and colds, Dr. Bergquist says, scientists find that people who regularly take 200 milligrams a day of the vitamin can decrease the severity and duration of a cold by continuing to take that high dose. (Starting vitamin C after the cold's onset doesn't provide the same benefit.) To maintain a steady level in your system, she says, 'it's reasonable to drink a glass of orange juice every day during cold season.'
伯奎斯特說，據對有關維生素C和感冒的研究進行的最新回顧顯示，科學家們發現，每日定期服用200毫克維生素C的人，若在感冒後持續服用這樣高劑量的維生素C，能夠降低感冒的嚴重程度，縮短病程。（感冒後纔開始服用維生素C則不會帶來這樣的好處。）她說，爲保持體內有一個穩定的維生素C水平，在感冒高發季每天喝一杯橙汁是適宜的。
Zinc is a bit more controversial, 'largely because the studies are not high quality,' she says. A recent meta-review of research showed that taking zinc within 24 hours of the onset of symptoms can reduce the duration-but not the severity-of a cold by one day.
她說，鋅則更爲有爭議，主要是因爲有關鋅的作用的研究質量不高。最近對研究的薈萃分析顯示，出現感冒症狀24小時內服用鋅，能夠將病程縮短一天，但不會減輕感冒的嚴重程度。
'However, the dose that is the most studied is 75 mg or greater, and you'd have to take that daily throughout the duration of the cold, which is very hard to get through food,' says Dr. Bergquist. You'd need to eat 12 oysters, 2 racks of ribs, 10 cups of cashews or 12 cups of chocolate, she says.
伯奎斯特說，不過，研究最多的劑量是75毫克及以上，而且你必須在患感冒的整個期間每天服用這個劑量的鋅，鋅很難通過飲食獲得。她說，你需要吃掉12只蠔，2大塊排骨，10杯腰果或2杯巧克力，才能獲得所需劑量的鋅。
A zinc lozenge is the way to go, but only for short spans; studies show that long-term zinc megadoses can cause copper deficiency.
可以服用鋅錠，但僅限短時間內；研究顯示，長期大劑量的服用鋅會導致缺銅。