研究称少量阿斯巴甜依然有害

近日，一项针对小鼠的新研究表明，哪怕只是少量摄入，长期来看人工甜味剂阿斯巴甜也可能对心脏与大脑健康产生负面影响。

今天你练听力了吗？

🤔️小作业：

1. Which of the following best describes the researchers' attitude toward current aspartame consumption guidelines?

A. They are confident that current guidelines are correct and should remain unchanged.

B. They suggest that the guidelines should be reconsidered due to potential health risks.

C. They believe the guidelines need to be updated to include more frequent usage.

D. They recommend increasing the acceptable daily intake of aspartame.

无注释原文：

Even Low Doses of Aspartame Could Have Alarming Health Effects, Study Finds

From: Science Alert

The artificial sweetener aspartame can be found in everything from chewing gum to fizzy drinks and tabletop sweeteners. A new study of mice suggests that even at low doses, the sugar substitute may have negative impacts on heart and brain health over the long term.

Over the course of a year, researchers led by a team from the Center for Cooperative Research in Biomaterials in Spain added small amounts of aspartame to the diets of male mice. This dose, given for several days each fortnight, was equivalent to about one-sixth of the currently acceptable daily human intake set by the World Health Organization.

These mice lost more weight than untreated controls, having 10-20 percent less body fat, on average, by the end of the study. But they developed worrying signs of heart and brain decline that warrant further investigation to see if the same effects might happen in humans.

"The study demonstrates that long-term exposure to artificial sweeteners can have a detrimental impact on organ function even at low doses, which suggests that current consumption guidelines should be critically re-examined," the researchers write in their published paper.

The researchers noticed the hearts of mice given aspartame had reduced pumping efficiency, along with minor structural and functional changes. This indicates impaired performance and increased cardiac stress, the researchers suggest.

The uptake of glucose, an essential fuel, into the brain also changed in aspartame-treated mice: It initially spiked, but then dropped significantly by the end of the year-long experiment. That could potentially sap the brain of the energy it needs to function properly.

This was reflected in the aspartame-treated mice struggling more with memory and learning tasks, hinting at cognitive decline. The animals that had consumed aspartame moved slower and took longer to escape from mazes, for example.

"It is concerning," the researchers write, "that the mild regime applied here, which is well below the equivalent maximum permitted for humans, administered only three days per two weeks, can alter heart and brain function, and heart structure."

It's important to put all of this into the context of other studies. The researchers note that the cognitive changes were "relatively mild" compared to earlier studies of mice that consumed aspartame daily, or for a shorter period.

"Either the aspartame-free intervals attenuated the magnitude of the behavioral changes, or mature mice are more tolerant of aspartame than younger animals, or else the mice adapt to long-term aspartame exposure," write the researchers.

"Until the neurological sequelae of aspartame are better understood, children and adolescents should probably avoid aspartame as far as possible, especially as a regular component of the diet."

- ◆ -

注：完整题目见本文开头；中文文本为机器翻译并非一一对应，仅供参考

含注释全文：

Even Low Doses of Aspartame Could Have Alarming Health Effects, Study Finds

From: Science Alert

The artificial sweetener aspartame can be found in everything from chewing gum to fizzy drinks and tabletop sweeteners. A new study of mice suggests that even at low doses, the sugar substitute may have negative impacts on heart and brain health over the long term.

从口香糖、碳酸饮料到各种代糖产品，人工甜味剂阿斯巴甜早已渗透进日常饮食。一项针对小鼠的新研究表明，哪怕只是少量摄入，长期来看这种代糖也可能对心脏与大脑健康产生负面影响。

artificial /ˌɑː.tɪˈfɪʃ.əl/ 表示“人造的，人工的；仿造的”，英文解释为“made by people, often as a copy of something natural”如：clothes made of artificial fibres 人造纤维面料的服装。

表示“甜味剂，甜化剂”，英文解释为“an artificial substance that has a similar taste to sugar, or a small pill made of this”

aspartame /ˈæs.pɚ.teɪm/ 表示“阿司帕坦；阿斯巴甜代糖（常用作减肥食品、饮料的人造甜味添加剂）”，英文解释为“a very sweet substance that contains very little energy and is used instead of sugar to make drinks and foods sweet”

chewing gum /ˈtʃuː.ɪŋ ˌɡʌm/ 表示“口香糖”，英文解释为“a sweet that you keep in your mouth and chew to get its flavour, but do not swallow”举个🌰：Would you like a piece/stick of chewing gum? 你要来片/块口香糖吗？

fizzy /ˈfɪz.i/ 表示“嘶嘶的，起泡的”，英文解释为“having a lot of bubbles”如：fizzy orange/mineral water 起泡橘子水/矿泉水。

dose /dəʊs/ 1）表示“一剂”（a measured amount of something such as medicine），如：a dose of penicillin 一剂青霉素；

2）表示“一些（糟糕或不愉快的事）”，英文解释为“an amount or experience of something, often something bad or unpleasant”举个🌰：He received a hefty dose of bad news this week. 本周他得到了许多坏消息。

📍《经济学人》（The Economist）一篇讲述谷歌的文章中提到：The first route would involve taking a strong dose of managerial medicine to become a more tightly run conglomerate. 第一种解决方法是给它服用一剂管理上的强效药，让它成为管理更严格的企业集团。

substitute /ˈsʌb.stɪ.tʃuːt/ 1）作名词，表示“代替者；代替物；代用品；（体育比赛中的）替补队员”，英文解释为“a person or thing that you use or have instead of the one you normally use or have”，如：a meat substitute 肉食替代品。

2）作动词，表示“用…代替，代之以”，英文解释为“to use something or someone instead of another thing or person”举个🌰：You can substitute oil for butter in this recipe. 这道菜中你可以用食用油代替黄油。

Over the course of a year, researchers led by a team from the Center for Cooperative Research in Biomaterials in Spain added small amounts of aspartame to the diets of male mice. This dose, given for several days each fortnight, was equivalent to about one-sixth of the currently acceptable daily human intake set by the World Health Organization.

在为期一年的实验中，西班牙生物材料合作研究中心团队的研究人员，在雄性小鼠的饮食中加入了少量阿斯巴甜。这种每两周中连续几天喂食的小剂量，大致相当于世界卫生组织目前规定的人类可接受每日摄入量的六分之一。

fortnight /ˈfɔːt.naɪt/ 表示“两星期，两周”，英文解释为“A fortnight is a period of two weeks.”如：a fortnight's holiday 两周的假期，举个🌰：I hope to be back in a fortnight. 我希望两周后回来。

equivalent /ɪˈkwɪv.əl.ənt/ 1）作形容词，表示“（价值、数量、意义、重要性等）相等的，相同的”，英文解释为“equal in value, amount, meaning, importance, etc.”举个🌰：Eight kilometres is roughly equivalent to five miles. 八公里约等于五英里。

2）作名词，表示“相等的东西；等量；对应词”，英文解释为“a thing, amount, word, etc. that is equivalent to sth else”

intake /ˈɪn.teɪk/ 1）表示“摄入量”，英文解释为“the amount of a particular substance that is eaten or drunk during a particular time”

2）示“（尤指学院或大学的）招生人数”，英文解释为“the number of people that are accepted at a particular time by an organization, especially a college or university”举个🌰：The college has increased its intake of students by 50 percent this year. 这所学院今年的招生人数增加了一半。

These mice lost more weight than untreated controls, having 10-20 percent less body fat, on average, by the end of the study. But they developed worrying signs of heart and brain decline that warrant further investigation to see if the same effects might happen in humans.

研究结束时，这些小鼠比未摄入的对照组体重下降更多，平均体脂减少了10%到20%。然而，它们却出现了令人担忧的心脏和大脑功能下降迹象，因此有必要进一步研究这些影响是否也会出现在人类身上。

warrant /ˈwɒr.ənt/ 1）作名词，表示“令状，搜查令；拘捕令”，英文解释为“A warrant is a legal document that allows someone to do something, especially one that is signed by a judge or magistrate and gives the police permission to arrest someone or search their house.”

2）作动词时，表示“使...有必要，使…显得适当”，英文解释为“If something warrants a particular action, it makes the action seem necessary or appropriate for the circumstances.”举个🌰：Obviously what she did was wrong, but I don't think it warranted such a severe punishment. 显然她做得不对，但我认为她不应该受到如此严厉的惩罚。

3）还有一个用法是表示“担保，保证；许诺”（used to say that you are certain about something），举个🌰：I'll warrant (you). 我（向你）保证。

🎬电影《美丽心灵》（A Beautiful Mind）中的台词提到：Your record doesn't warrant any placement at all. 你的履历压根不足以保证你能胜任任何职位。

"The study demonstrates that long-term exposure to artificial sweeteners can have a detrimental impact on organ function even at low doses, which suggests that current consumption guidelines should be critically re-examined," the researchers write in their published paper.

研究人员在论文中写道：“本研究表明，即使在低剂量下，长期摄入人工甜味剂也会对器官功能产生不利影响，这意味着有必要重新审视现行的摄入指南。”

detrimental /ˌdet.rɪˈmen.təl/ 表示“有危害的，有损害的”，英文解释为“causing harm or damage”举个🌰：These chemicals have a detrimental effect/impact on the environment. 这些化学品对环境有危害。

The researchers noticed the hearts of mice given aspartame had reduced pumping efficiency, along with minor structural and functional changes. This indicates impaired performance and increased cardiac stress, the researchers suggest.

研究人员观察到，摄入阿斯巴甜的小鼠心脏泵血效率下降，同时还出现了一些轻微的结构和功能变化。这表明心脏性能受损，心脏承受的压力增加。

impaired /ɪmˈpeəd/ 表示“受损的，被削弱的”，英文解释为“damaged in a way that makes something less effective”举个🌰：She suffers from impaired vision/hearing. 她的视力/听力受损。

cardiac /ˈkɑː.di.æk/ 表示“心脏的；心脏病的”，英文解释为“of the heart or heart disease”

The uptake of glucose, an essential fuel, into the brain also changed in aspartame-treated mice: It initially spiked, but then dropped significantly by the end of the year-long experiment. That could potentially sap the brain of the energy it needs to function properly.

在摄入阿斯巴甜的小鼠中，大脑对葡萄糖这一关键能量来源的吸收也发生了变化：最初明显上升，但在一年实验结束时却显著下降。这可能会削弱大脑正常运作所需的能量供应。

glucose /ˈɡluːkəʊz/ 表示“葡萄糖”，英文解释为“Glucose is a type of sugar that gives you energy.”

sap /sæp/ 表示“（尤指经过一段很长的时间）使伤元气；削弱；使耗尽”，英文解释为“to make someone weaker or take away strength or an important quality from someone, especially over a long period of time”举个🌰：Constant criticism saps you of your confidence. 不间断地有人批评会消磨信心。

This was reflected in the aspartame-treated mice struggling more with memory and learning tasks, hinting at cognitive decline. The animals that had consumed aspartame moved slower and took longer to escape from mazes, for example.

这一变化反映在行为表现上：摄入阿斯巴甜的小鼠在记忆和学习任务中表现更差，显示出认知能力下降的迹象。例如，它们行动更慢，在迷宫中逃脱所需时间更长。

hint /hɪnt/ 作名词，1）表示“暗示，提示，示意”，英文解释为“something that you say or do that shows what you think or want, usually in a way that is not direct”举个🌰：He's dropped (= given) several hints to the boss that he'll quit if he doesn't get a promotion. 他已经向老板暗示了好几次，如果不获得升职他就会辞职。

2）表示“建议”，英文解释为“a piece of advice that helps you to do something”举个🌰：Could you give us a hint about how to do this exercise, please? 你能不能给我们一些关于如何做这个练习的建议？

3）表示“很少量”，英文解释为“a very small amount of something”举个🌰：There's just a hint of brandy in the sauce. 调味汁中只有很少的白兰地。

作动词，表示“暗示，示意”，英文解释为“to suggest something in an indirect way, but so that someone can guess your meaning”举个🌰：What are you hinting at? 你在暗示什么？

"It is concerning," the researchers write, "that the mild regime applied here, which is well below the equivalent maximum permitted for humans, administered only three days per two weeks, can alter heart and brain function, and heart structure."

研究人员写道：“令人担忧的是，这种远低于人类允许上限、且每两周仅喂食三天的摄入方式，仍然能够改变心脏和大脑功能，甚至影响心脏结构。”

regime /reɪˈʒiːm/ 1）表示“政府；政权；政体”，英文解释为“a particular government or a system or method of government”

2）表示“组织方法；管理体制；体系”，英文解释为“a particular way of operating or organizing a business, etc.”举个🌰：The regime in this office is hard work and more hard work. 该事务所的管理方式是让人努力再努力。

区分：

📍regimen /ˈredʒ.ɪ.mən/ 表示“（尤指为了增进健康的）生活规则，养生之道，养生法”，英文解释为“any set of rules about food and exercise that someone follows, especially in order to improve their health”举个🌰：After his heart attack the doctor put him on a strict regimen. 他的心脏病发作后，医生给他制订了严格的生活规则。

administration应该都不陌生，administer /ədˈmɪn.ɪ.stər/ 作动词，用来表示“管理，治理”（to manage the work or money of a company or organization），或者是表示“执行，实施；给予”，英文解释为“to provide or organize something officially as part of your job”举个🌰：It is not the job of the police to administer justice; that falls to the courts. 司法不是警方的职责，而是法院的职责。

还有熟词僻义，指的是“施用（药物），给予（治疗），派发（药物）”，英文解释为“to give someone a medicine or medical treatment”举个🌰：Painkillers were administered to the boy. 已给那个男孩服了止痛药。

It's important to put all of this into the context of other studies. The researchers note that the cognitive changes were "relatively mild" compared to earlier studies of mice that consumed aspartame daily, or for a shorter period.

有必要将这些结果放在更广泛的研究背景中来看。研究人员指出，与此前每日摄入阿斯巴甜或短期高强度摄入的小鼠研究相比，这次观察到的认知变化“相对较轻”。

"Either the aspartame-free intervals attenuated the magnitude of the behavioral changes, or mature mice are more tolerant of aspartame than younger animals, or else the mice adapt to long-term aspartame exposure," write the researchers.

研究人员写道：“可能是间歇性不摄入阿斯巴甜减弱了行为变化的程度，也可能是成年小鼠比幼年小鼠更耐受阿斯巴甜，或者小鼠对长期摄入产生了适应性。”

attenuate /əˈten.ju.eɪt/ 表示“使减少；使减弱；使降低”，英文解释为“to make something less or weaker”举个🌰：Radiation from the sun is attenuated by the earth's atmosphere. 地球大气减弱了太阳辐射。

magnitude /ˈmæɡnɪtjuːd/ 1）表示“（尺寸、规模、重要性等）大的程度；巨大；重大，重要性”，英文解释为“the large size or importance of something”举个🌰：They don't seem to grasp the magnitude of the problem. 他们似乎未领会问题的重要性。

2）表示“震级”（the size of an earthquake）

"Until the neurological sequelae of aspartame are better understood, children and adolescents should probably avoid aspartame as far as possible, especially as a regular component of the diet."

研究人员写道：“在更清楚地了解阿斯巴甜对神经系统的长期影响之前，儿童及青少年可能应尽量避免摄入阿斯巴甜，尤其不应将其作为日常饮食的一部分。”

sequela /sɪˈkwiː.lə/的复数形式，表示“后遗症”，英文解释为“a result or condition that follows from a disease or illness”如：neurological sequelae 神经性后遗症。

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