揭祕最能給人體補充能量的營養元素

Spinach does make you big and strong but it is the nitrates not the iron that is responsible It is well known as the superfood that gave Popeye his bulging muscles. Now scientists have discovered why spinach is the cartoon sailor’s secret weapon. They say nitrates, which are abundant in green, leafy vegetables of all kinds, boost the powerhouses in cells that provide energy.
　　童年時候的動畫片《大力水手》讓我們銘記於心，裏面的主人翁大力水手（Popeye）是美國崇拜對象，代表着敢於堅持自己，併爲市井小民挺身而出的精神。在動畫片中，他吃了菠菜、力氣倍增的鏡頭一定程度上讓“菠菜”成爲當時小孩子在蔬菜中的“大愛”。如今，就專家調查後他們發現了能讓大力水手真的變成“大力士”的最主要原因，是因爲菠菜中的“硝酸鹽”使得大力水手Popeye強壯，而非“鐵元素”。在綠色多頁蔬果中的“硝酸鹽”成分增強細胞的能量，相當於“發電機”的功效。

A single helping of spinach is enough to increase the efficiency of mitochondria, small bean-shaped bodies which fuel cell activity and growth. Originally it was thought that the iron content of spinach made it a power-food. Now scientists have learned that nitrates are the true energy-boosting ingredient in the vegetable. Until recently the inorganic chemical was not thought to have any nutritional value.

雖然，人們一直認爲菠菜中的“鐵元素”是補充體力的最主要成分，而如今實驗發現，菠菜中的“硝酸鹽”纔是補充能量：硝酸鹽提供人體內--線粒體（Mitochondria）的活動能力，而線粒體是身體每一項活動的支柱。它們運用氧氣燃燒食物，供應細胞燃料。直到最近，科學家才發現硝酸鹽是補充能量的真正元素。

While the Swedish scientists aren’t claiming the sort of results that Popeye achieves when he eats a can of spinach, they found that after taking a small dose of inorganic nitrate for three days, healthy people consumed less oxygen while riding an exercise bike. Lead researcher Professor Eddie Weitzberg, from the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, said: ‘We’re talking about an amount of nitrate equivalent to what is found in two or three beetroot or a plate of spinach. ‘We know that diets rich in fruit and vegetables can help prevent cardiovascular disease and diabetes, but the active nutrients haven’t been clear. This shows inorganic nitrate as a candidate to explain those benefits.’

來自瑞典的科學家其實不是爲了證明，只要吃了一罐菠菜，就能變得有力氣。他們發現，只要連續3天吃一定量的無機硝酸鹽，人體的能量會增長，比如：騎車的時候所消耗的氧氣相比平時會有所減少，不是特別耗體力。教授Eddie Weitzberg說：“我們瞭解到多吃蔬菜和水果，可以有效防止心血管和糖尿病的患病機率。”