研究稱肥胖者對環境傷害更大

Researchers at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine published a study showing that, because of food production and transportation factors, a population of heavier people contributes more harmful gases to the planet than a population of thin people.

倫敦衛生和熱帶醫學學院的研究者們發佈的研究結果顯示，由於食品生產加工和運輸等因素，超重的人羣比瘦人們向地球“貢獻”了更多的有害氣體。

Given that it takes more energy to move heavier people, transportation of heavier people requires more fuel, which creates more greenhouse gas emissions, the authors write.

研究者們寫道，考慮到胖人移動需要消耗更多的能量，體重越重的人在運輸時就需要約多的燃料，而這會造成了更多的溫室氣體的排放。

"The main message is staying thin. It's good for you, and it's good for the planet," said Phil Edwards, senior lecturer at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

倫敦衛生和熱帶醫學學院的高級講師菲爾愛德華茲說，“報告主題的就是要保持苗條身材。這有利於個人，也有利於地球。”

The study offers this novel approach to the global warming problem as U.S. lawmakers discuss the future of climate change legislation. This week, the the House Energy and Commerce Committee is scheduled to begin on a comprehensive energy and climate bill. On Friday, the Environmental Protection Agency announced that six greenhouse gases pose potential health hazards, an announcement that could prompt the regulation of the gases.

美國立法者們正在討論未來對氣候變化立法的事情，而這項研究便提供了一個解決全球變暖問題的新方法。衆議院能源和商務委員會定於本週提交一份綜合能源和氣候議案。週五環保署宣佈6種溫室氣體會造成潛在的健康危害，這將推動有關氣體方面的管理。

More than 1 billion adults worldwide are overweight, and about 300 million are obese, the study said. Generally, the body mass index, a measure of obesity, is increasing in most countries worldwide, from China to European countries to the United States.

研究稱，全球有超過十億的成年人超重，其中大約有3億人過度肥胖。總體而言，從中國到歐洲再到美國，世界大多數國家的體重指數（BMI——肥胖測量標準）一直在增長。

BMI is going up because of the availability of food and motorized transportation, Edwards said. People are less active now than they were 30 years ago, and the prence of fast food has given people less healthy, more energy-dense options.

BMI因爲食物更加容易獲得和機械化運輸的實現而持續上升。因爲人們比30年前更加懶散，快餐的流行也給了人們健康程度降低但熱量增加的選擇。

Using statistical models, the authors compared the distribution of BMI in the United Kingdom in the 1970s--when 3.5 percent of the population was obese--with a prediction for the country's BMI distribution in 2010, reflecting 40 percent obesity.

研究者們使用統計模型，比較了上世紀70年代英國的BMI分佈數據與2010年的分佈預測。前者的人口肥胖率爲3.5%，而後者爲40%。

"In terms of environmental impact, the lean population has a much smaller carbon footprint," Edwards said.

愛德華稱：“就對環境的影響而言，體型瘦小人羣的碳足跡要小得多。”

The population with 40 percent obese people requires 19 percent more food energy for its total energy expenditure than the population with 3.5 percent obese people, the study showed.

研究顯示，擁有40%肥胖率的人口，其所需能源消耗要比肥胖率爲3.5%的人口多19%。

This 19 percent increase in food consumption translates into an increase of 270 million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions, the study said.

這19%的食物消費增長相當於新增2.7億噸溫室氣體的排放。

"The findings make sense and highlight an important global co-benefit of losing weight, along with the significant personal health benefits," said Patrick Kinney, associate professor at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health, who was not involved in the study.

哥倫比亞大學郵差公共衛生學院的副教授帕特里克凱尼並未參與此項研究，但他認爲：“這些結果非常有意義，它們揭示了減肥是爲了全球的共同利益，且對個人健康也益處良多。”

In terms of obesity rate, the U.S. population is not far off from the overweight population model in this study. The country has 33.3 percent obese people, according to the Mayo Clinic.

按照美國目前的人口肥胖率，研究中的超重人口模型並非遙不可及。根據梅奧科里尼克的數據，美國現在擁有33.3%的肥胖人口。

The study suggests that governments have a responsibility to encourage people to be more physically active, Edwards said. Active transportation, such as cycling and walking, helps maintain a healthy weight but requires safe streets, he said.

愛德華認爲，該項研究建議政府應承擔其責任，鼓勵人們參加更多的體育活動。諸如騎車和散步等積極的運動，可以幫助保持健康的體重，但這需要安全的街道。

Although climate change has come into the forefront as a major world problem recently, this is not the first time scholars have thought about the connection between fossil fuel and body fat.

雖然氣候變化最近已經作爲一個世界性難題提上議程，但這並非學者們第一次考慮化石能源和人體脂肪之間的聯繫。

In 1978, a year the United States experienced an oil shock, a study in the American Journal of Public Health showed that if all overweight people in the country aged 18 to 79 reached their optimal weight, the resulting energy savings would equal 1.3 billion gallons of gasoline.

早在1978年，美國經歷石油危機之時，《美國公共健康雜誌》的一項研究就顯示，如果美國從18歲到79歲的所有超重人口都保持理想體重，那麼由此節省下來的能源相當於13億加侖汽油。

After the dieting period, about 750 million gallons of gasoline would be saved every year, said the authors, Bruce Hannon, professor at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, and Timothy Lohman, now professor emeritus at the University of Arizona.

據伊利諾斯大學香檳分校教授布魯斯漢農和亞利桑那大學的榮譽教授蒂莫西洛曼估計，在節食期過後，大約每年將節省7.5億加侖汽油。

Today, research has shown that the obesity epidemic costs the United States about 0 billion a year, said Dr. Martin Donohoe of Portland State University, who runs the Web site Public Health and Social Justice. In terms of energy expenditure, the average food product travels 1,500 miles to get to your table, he said.

來自波特蘭州立大學的馬丁多諾霍教授說，目前的研究已經顯示美國每年因肥胖症流行而損失了一千億美元，按照其能源消耗計算，食品在抵達餐桌之前平均需要旅行1500英里。