节日大餐暴饮暴食如何影响你的大脑？

元旦快乐。

今天你练听力了吗？

🤔️小作业：

1. Which of the following best describes the article’s stance on the so-called “food coma”?

A. It is primarily caused by reduced blood flow to the brain

B. It is fully explained by known gut hormones

C. It is a recognised phenomenon with an uncertain biological mechanism

D. It has been disproved by recent experimental evidence

无注释原文：

What a huge festive meal does to your brain?

From: BBC

Many of us will throw modesty out the window when it comes to Christmas lunch. But what do these blow-out festive meals do to our body and brain?

There are lots of ways that food supports our brains to do their many important functions, including our memory and concentration. A balanced diet can also be a powerful support to our mental health.

But what immediate effects does eating a huge meal – such as an all-the-works Christmas dinner – have on our brains?

What happens when we overeat?

When we're eating, various signals around the body work together to let our brains know we're full – including from hormones released from the gut, and metabolites (molecules that break down food for energy).

These hormones also signal the release of insulin from the pancreas to control our blood sugar. This whole process is called the "satiety cascade".

"These signals come from different parts of out gut and work over slightly different time frames," says Tony Goldstone, clinical associate professor at Imperial College London and consultant endocrinologist.

This cascade of hormones released from the gut and pancreas and sending signals to the brain may also have something to do with the sleepy feeling we get after a big meal (called "postprandial somnolence"). But the exact mechanisms behind this are not yet well-understood, says Aaron Hengist, a postdoctoral visiting fellow at the National Institutes of Health in Washington, US.

It's been widely believed that this feeling – nicknamed a "food coma" – is largely an effect of blood travelling away from the brain and towards the stomach. But research shows blood flow doesn't actually decrease after a big meal.

But there needs to be more research to understand post-meal sleepiness, Hengist says.

"The gut hormone response is a cocktail; we don't know which specific hormones can cause sleepiness on which centres of the brain," he says.

Is it harmful to overeat?

Eating too much on the odd occasion has surprisingly little effect on our metabolism, says Hengist.

In 2020, he published the results of a study that looked at what happens when people eat beyond comfortably full, and when they eat to about-to-burst full.

Fourteen healthy men (very bravely) volunteered to eat lots of pizza in one sitting. In one study visit they were asked to eat until they were comfortably full, and in the other study visit, as much as they could. They ate double the amount of pizza in the all-you-can-eat experiment.

Their hormones, appetite, mood and metabolic responses were measured for four hours following their feasts. The researchers found that their blood sugar levels were no higher than after a normal meal, and neither was the amount of fat in their blood.

"We were surprised that, despite double the energy intake, the body regulated blood sugar remarkably well," says Hengist. "We found that the body was working hard to do this, by secreting more insulin and various gut hormones that help release insulin and signal that we're full."

This study shows, he says, that a one-off indulgence is not as damaging as you might expect.

However, since the study was only done in young healthy men, the research can't be extrapolated to the general population without first studying women and people who are overweight or obese, says Hengist.

- ◆ -

注：完整题目见本文开头；中文文本为BBC官方译文，仅供参考

含注释全文：

What a huge festive meal does to your brain?

From: BBC

Many of us will throw modesty out the window when it comes to Christmas lunch. But what do these blow-out festive meals do to our body and brain?

我们中有很多人会在吃圣诞大餐的时候把谦逊端庄抛在脑后。这种盛大的节日大餐对人体和大脑意味着什么呢？

modesty /ˈmɒd.ɪ.sti/ 表示“谦虚，谦逊”，英文解释为“the quality of not talking about or not trying to make people notice your abilities and achievements”或者表示“（女子的衣着、举止等）端庄，正派，朴素”，举个🌰：She does a lot of work for charities, but her modesty forbids her from talking about it. 她为慈善事业做了许多工作，但她很谦虚，从不谈起此事。

There are lots of ways that food supports our brains to do their many important functions, including our memory and concentration. A balanced diet can also be a powerful support to our mental health.

食物支持大脑具备许多重要功能，包括记忆和专注力。均衡饮食也能强化心理健康。

concentration /ˌkɒn.sənˈtreɪ.ʃən/ 除了表示我们平常熟悉的“专注、专心；关注、重视；集中、聚集”等，还可以表示“浓度”，英文解释为“the exact amount of one particular substance that is found in another substance”举个🌰：High concentrations of toxic elements were found in the polluted areas. 在被污染地区发现了高浓度的有毒元素。

But what immediate effects does eating a huge meal – such as an all-the-works Christmas dinner – have on our brains?

但像圣诞大餐这样的“全套”盛宴，对大脑会有什么即时影响？

What happens when we overeat? 暴饮暴食时会发生什么？

When we're eating, various signals around the body work together to let our brains know we're full – including from hormones released from the gut, and metabolites (molecules that break down food for energy).

进食时，身体各处的信号会协同作用，告诉大脑我们已经饱了——包括肠道释放的荷尔蒙，以及代谢物（分解食物以产生能量的分子）。

hormone /ˈhɔːməʊn/ 表示“激素；荷尔蒙”，英文解释为“a chemical substance produced in the body or in a plant that encourages growth or influences how the cells and tissues function; an artificial substance that has similar effects”如：growth hormones 生长激素。

gut /ɡʌt/ 作动词，表示“（尤指在烹调前）取出…的内脏”，英文解释为“to remove the inner organs of an animal, especially in preparation for eating it”举个🌰：She gutted the fish and cut off their heads. 她取出鱼的内脏并把鱼头切掉。

作名词，表示“消化道；肠道，肠”，英文解释为“the long tube in the body of a person or animal, through which food moves during the process of digesting food”举个🌰：Meat stays in the gut longer than vegetable matter. 和蔬菜相比，肉类在消化道中停留的时间更长。

sb's gut 表示“凭直觉，凭感情（决定或判断）”，英文解释为“a way of deciding what should be done or what is right, that is based on how someone feels rather than thinking about reasons”举个🌰：My head said that I should go but my gut said I should stay. 理智上我该走，但是感觉告诉我该留。

gut feeling/reaction 表示“直觉，本能，内心感觉”，英文解释为“a strong belief about someone or something that cannot completely be explained and does not have to be decided by reasoning”举个🌰：I have a gut feeling that the relationship won't last. 我有种直觉，这段关系不会太长久。

metabolite /məˈtæb.ə.laɪt/ 表示“代谢物”，英文解释为“any substance involved in metabolism (= the chemical processes in the body needed for life)”如：metabolite levels 代谢物水平。

molecule /ˈmɒl.ɪ.kjuːl/ 表示“分子”，英文解释为“the smallest unit, consisting of a group of atoms, into which a substance can be divided without a change in its chemical nature”举个🌰：A molecule of water consists of two atoms of hydrogen and one atom of oxygen. 水分子由两个氢原子和一个氧原子构成。

形容词性：

📍molecular /məʊˈlɛkjʊlə/ 表示“分子的”，英文解释为“Molecular means relating to or involving molecules.”，如：the molecular structure of fuel 燃料的分子结构。

These hormones also signal the release of insulin from the pancreas to control our blood sugar. This whole process is called the "satiety cascade".

这些荷尔蒙还会促使胰脏分泌胰岛素，以控制血糖。整个过程被称为“饱足感连锁反应”（satiety cascade）。

insulin /ˈɪnsjəlɪn/表示“胰岛素”，英文解释为“a chemical substance produced in the body that controls the amount of sugar in the blood (by influencing the rate at which it is removed); a similar artificial substance given to people whose bodies do not produce enough naturally”

pancreas /ˈpæŋ.kri.əs/ 表示“胰脏，胰腺”，英文解释为“an organ in the body that produces insulin (= a chemical substance that controls the amount of sugar in the blood) and substances that help to digest food so that it can be used by the body”

satiety /səˈtaɪə.ti/ 表示“满足，厌腻”，英文解释为“the state of being completely satisfied, especially with food or pleasure, so that you could not have any more”

cascade /kæsˈkeɪd/ 1）表示“如瀑布般下落；大量倾泻”，英文解释为“to fall quickly and in large amounts”举个🌰：Coins cascaded from/out of the fruit machine. 大量硬币从吃角子老虎机中倾泻而出。

2）表示“逐层传递；传播；传达”，英文解释为“to pass on information by giving it to just a few people, who then give it to more people; to be passed on in this way”举个🌰：Guest information is cascaded through employee shift briefings. 客人信息是在员工轮班简报时传达的。

"These signals come from different parts of out gut and work over slightly different time frames," says Tony Goldstone, clinical associate professor at Imperial College London and consultant endocrinologist.

伦敦帝国理工学院临床副教授兼内分泌科顾问东尼·戈德斯通（Tony Goldstone）说：“这些信号来自肠道不同部位，作用时间也略有差异。”

frame /freɪm/ 表示“（图画、门、窗的）框，框架”，英文解释为“a border that surrounds and supports a picture, door, or window”如：a picture frame 画框，也可以表示“帧；（摄影胶片的）画格；（电视或电影的）画面，镜头”，英文解释为“one of the pictures on a strip of photographic film, or one of the single pictures that together form a television or cinema film”

也可以表示“（斯诺克等游戏的）一局”，英文解释为“the size and shape of someone's body”举个🌰：She lost the next two frames. 她输掉了接下来的两局。

📍time frame /ˈtaɪm ˌfreɪm/ 表示“（安排进行某活动的）时间框架，时间范围”，英文解释为“a period of days, weeks, months, etc. within which an activity is intended to happen”举个🌰：Have you set a time frame for completing the job? 你给这项工作定完成时限了吗？The time frame within which all this occurred was from February 2015 to December 2025. 这一切都是在2015年2月到2025年12月的时间范围内发生的。

作动词，frame /freɪm/ 1）可以表示“（措词谨慎地）表达，说出”，英文解释为“to express something choosing your words carefully”举个🌰：The interview would have been more productive if the questions had been framed more precisely. 如果当时问题提得更确切些，采访就会更有成效。

2）frame /freɪm/ 表示“给（图画等）装（镜）框”，英文解释为“to fix a border around a picture, etc. and often glass in front of it”举个🌰：I keep meaning to get that photo framed. 我一直打算给那张照片镶上框。

📍framed /freɪmd/ 表示“加外框的”，英文解释为“surrounded by a border”如：a framed photograph 用像框装起来的照片。

endocrinologist /ˌen.dəʊ.krɪˈnɒl.ə.dʒɪst/表示“内分泌学家”，英文解释为“a doctor or scientist who specializes in endocrinology”

This cascade of hormones released from the gut and pancreas and sending signals to the brain may also have something to do with the sleepy feeling we get after a big meal (called "postprandial somnolence"). But the exact mechanisms behind this are not yet well-understood, says Aaron Hengist, a postdoctoral visiting fellow at the National Institutes of Health in Washington, US.

位于华盛顿的美国国立卫生研究院（National Institutes of Health）访问学者亚伦·亨吉斯特（Aaron Hengist）表示，肠道和胰脏释放的荷尔蒙向大脑传递信号，可能与我们饭后昏昏欲睡的感觉有关（称为“餐后嗜睡”，postprandial somnolence）。但其背后的机制尚未完全明瞭。

postprandial /ˌpəʊstˈpræn.di.əl/ 表示“饭后的，宴会后的”，英文解释为“happening after lunch or dinner”举个🌰：He took the usual postprandial stroll around the grounds of his house. 他又像往常一样饭后绕着房子散步。

somnolence /ˈsɒm.nəl.əns/ 表示“瞌睡，欲睡”，英文解释为“a feeling of wanting to sleep, or the state of almost sleeping”举个🌰：Patients should be instructed to avoid situations where somnolence may be a problem. 应指导患者避免出现嗜睡可能产生问题的情形。

It's been widely believed that this feeling – nicknamed a "food coma" – is largely an effect of blood travelling away from the brain and towards the stomach. But research shows blood flow doesn't actually decrease after a big meal.

长期以来，人们普遍认为这种“食物昏迷”主要是因为血液从大脑流向胃部，但研究显示，饭后血流并未减少。

nickname /ˈnɪk.neɪm/ 可以作名词，也可以作动词，表示“给…起绰号”，英文解释为“to give a nickname to sb/sth”举个🌰：LR was nicknamed ‘Lu Rou’. LR外号叫“卤肉”。

coma /ˈkəʊ.mə/ 表示“昏迷（状态）”，英文解释为“a state in which a person is unconscious and cannot be woken, caused by damage to the brain after an accident or illness”举个🌰：He's been in a coma for the past six weeks. 在过去的6个星期里，他一直昏迷不醒。

But there needs to be more research to understand post-meal sleepiness, Hengist says.

亨吉斯特说，仍需更多研究来理解餐后嗜睡。

"The gut hormone response is a cocktail; we don't know which specific hormones can cause sleepiness on which centres of the brain," he says.

他说：“肠道荷尔蒙反应就像一杯鸡尾酒；我们不知道哪些特定荷尔蒙会作用于大脑哪些区域，导致嗜睡。”

cocktail表示“鸡尾酒”，英文解释为“a drink usually made from a mixture of one or more spirits (= strong alcoholic drinks) and fruit juice. It can also be made without alcohol.”

🍸cocktail真的就是cock，公鸡，雄鸡（an adult male chicken）+tail，尾，尾巴（the part that sticks out and can be moved at the back of the body of a bird, an animal or a fish）

Is it harmful to overeat? 暴饮暴食有害吗？

Eating too much on the odd occasion has surprisingly little effect on our metabolism, says Hengist.

亨吉斯特表示，偶尔吃得过多，对代谢的影响出乎意料地小。

metabolism /mɪˈtæbəˌlɪzəm/ 表示“新陈代谢”，英文解释为“the chemical processes in living things that change food, etc. into energy and materials for growth”举个🌰：The body's metabolism is slowed down by extreme cold. 严寒可以使身体新陈代谢的速度下降。

In 2020, he published the results of a study that looked at what happens when people eat beyond comfortably full, and when they eat to about-to-burst full.

2020年，他发表了一项研究，探讨人们吃到“舒适饱”与“撑到极限”时的差异。

Fourteen healthy men (very bravely) volunteered to eat lots of pizza in one sitting. In one study visit they were asked to eat until they were comfortably full, and in the other study visit, as much as they could. They ate double the amount of pizza in the all-you-can-eat experiment.

14名健康男性（非常勇敢地）自愿在一次用餐中吃大量披萨。第一次实验要求吃到舒适饱，第二次则尽可能多吃。他们在“吃到撑”的实验中，吃了两倍的披萨。

sitting /ˈsɪt.ɪŋ/ 作形容词，表示“（总统或议员）现任的，在任期内的；现有的，现存的，持续的”，英文解释为“A sitting president or member of parliament is a present one, not a future or past one.”如：a sitting Member of Parliament 现任议会议员。

作名词，表示“（宾馆的）用餐时间”，英文解释为“a period when a meal is served in a place like a hotel”举个🌰：When the hotel is full, dinner is served in two sittings. 宾馆客满时，用餐分两批进行。

📍at/in one sitting 表示“一口气地”，英文解释为“during one limited period of time, without stopping”举个🌰：I enjoyed the book so much that I read it all in one sitting. 我太喜欢这本书了，一口气就把它读完了。

Their hormones, appetite, mood and metabolic responses were measured for four hours following their feasts. The researchers found that their blood sugar levels were no higher than after a normal meal, and neither was the amount of fat in their blood.

研究人员在餐后四小时测量他们的荷尔蒙、食欲、情绪和代谢反应。结果显示，他们的血糖水平并未高于正常餐后，血液中的脂肪含量也没有增加。

appetite /ˈæpɪtaɪt/ 1）表示“食欲；胃口”，英文解释为“physical desire for food”举个🌰：He suffered from headaches and loss of appetite. 他头痛且食欲不振。

2）表示“强烈欲望”，英文解释为“a strong desire for sth”举个🌰：The public have an insatiable appetite for scandal. 公众对丑事总是喜闻乐道。

feast /fiːst/ 1）表示“盛宴；宴会”，英文解释为“a special meal with very good food or a large meal for many people”举个🌰："What a feast!" she said, surveying all the dishes on the table. “多丰盛的宴席啊！”她一边打量着桌上的菜肴，一边说道。

2）表示“（宗教）节日”，英文解释为“a day on which a religious event or person is remembered and celebrated”如：a Muslim feast day 一个穆斯林节日。

3）表示“（感官）享受”，英文解释为“something that is very enjoyable to see, hear, experience, etc.”如：a visual feast 视觉盛宴。

"We were surprised that, despite double the energy intake, the body regulated blood sugar remarkably well," says Hengist. "We found that the body was working hard to do this, by secreting more insulin and various gut hormones that help release insulin and signal that we're full."

亨吉斯特说：“我们很惊讶，尽管能量摄取翻倍，身体仍能很好地调节血糖。我们发现身体努力做到这一点，分泌更多胰岛素和肠道荷尔蒙，帮助释放胰岛素并传递饱足信号。”

secrete /sɪˈkriːt/ 表示“（动植物或其细胞）分泌”，英文解释为“(of animals or plants or their cells) to produce and release a liquid”举个🌰： Saliva is a liquid secreted by glands in or near the mouth. 唾液是由嘴中或嘴部周围的腺体分泌的一种液体。

This study shows, he says, that a one-off indulgence is not as damaging as you might expect.

这项研究显示，偶尔的放纵并不像想像中那么有害。

one-off /ˌwʌnˈɒf/ 表示“一次性的”，英文解释为“happening only once”举个🌰：They gave him a one-off payment to compensate for the extra hours that he had to work. 他们一次性支付给他一笔钱作为他必须加班的补偿。

indulgence /ɪnˈdʌl.dʒəns/ 1）表示“允许；迁就；纵容”，英文解释为“an occasion when you allow or do not mind someone's failure or bad behaviour”举个🌰：My inability to do needlework was treated with surprising indulgence by my teacher. 我不会做针线活儿，而老师竟然迁就了我，这真令我吃惊。

2）表示“沉溺；放纵”，英文解释为“an occasion when you allow someone or yourself to have something enjoyable, especially more than is good for you”举个🌰：Chocolate is my only indulgence. 巧克力是我唯一的嗜好。

However, since the study was only done in young healthy men, the research can't be extrapolated to the general population without first studying women and people who are overweight or obese, says Hengist.

不过，亨吉斯特补充说，由于研究仅针对年轻健康男性，尚不能推广至一般人群，必须先研究女性及过重或肥胖者。

extrapolate /ɪkˈstræp.ə.leɪt/ 表示“推断；推知”，英文解释为“to guess or think about what might happen using information that is already known”举个🌰：You can't really extrapolate a trend from such a small sample. 你不能仅凭这样一件小小的样品就推断出潮流真正的发展趋势。

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