研究发现，益生菌可能有助于控制儿童肥胖

研究发现，益生菌可能有助于控制儿童肥胖

More than 340 million children and adolescents, globally, were overweight or obese in 2016, meaning they're at greater risk for obesity and disease later in life, and even early death. One solution to the growing burden could be found by turning attention to kids' gut health.

2016年，全球有超过3.4亿儿童和青少年超重或肥胖，这意味着他们在晚年面临更大的肥胖和疾病风险，甚至早死的风险。解决日益加重的负担的一个办法是将注意力转向孩子的肠道健康。

In combination with a calorie-controlled diet, the probiotic strain Bifidobacterium breve may help children and adolescents with obesity lose weight, according to a small study to be presented Monday at e-ECE 2020, the 22nd European Congress of Endocrinology.

根据周一在第22届欧洲内分泌学大会e-ECE 2020上发表的一项小型研究，结合卡路里控制饮食，益生菌株短双歧杆菌可能有助于肥胖儿童和青少年减肥。

Our gut microbiota are a dynamic population of more than 100 trillion microorganisms within our gastrointestinal tract, and they're responsible for maintaining immune function, normal metabolism and protection against pathogens. Diet has been considered a key driver of gut microbiota, and imbalances in the microbiota have been linked with diseases and infections.

我们的肠道微生物群是肠道内一个超过100万亿微生物的动态群体，它们负责维持免疫功能、正常代谢和抵御病原体。饮食被认为是肠道微生物群的关键驱动因素，而微生物群的失衡与疾病和感染有关。

Probiotics consist of live bacteria and other microorganisms "that are intended to have health benefits when consumed or applied to the body" and can be found in yogurt, other fermented foods and dietary supplements, according to the US National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health.

据美国国家补充和综合健康中心称，益生菌由活菌和其他微生物组成，“食用或应用于身体时对健康有益”，可以在酸奶、其他发酵食品和膳食补充剂中找到。

Similar to or the same as the microorganisms naturally present within our bodies, some bacteria of these probiotics can help aid digestion, vitamin production and destruction of disease-causing cells.

与我们体内自然存在的微生物相似或相同，这些益生菌中的一些细菌可以帮助消化、产生维生素和破坏致病细胞。

Bifidobacteria are one of the most common bacteria used in probiotics since they naturally live in our stomachs and intestines and protect against pathogens, regulate our immune system and provide nutrients by breaking down carbohydrates and fiber. This strain also produces short-chain-fatty-acids, which also play an important role in regulating gut health, hunger and weight.

双歧杆菌是益生菌中最常见的细菌之一，因为它们自然生活在我们的胃和肠道中，保护我们抵抗病原体，调节我们的免疫系统，并通过分解碳水化合物和纤维提供营养。这种菌株还产生短链脂肪酸，在调节肠道健康、饥饿和体重方面也发挥着重要作用。

Prior research used mixtures of probiotic strains to assess the effect on obesity management, so the authors of the current study sought to find out what happened when they administered Bifidobacteria alone.

先前的研究使用混合的益生菌菌株来评估对肥胖管理的影响，所以当前研究的作者试图找出当他们单独使用双歧杆菌时会发生什么。

Probiotics for weight management
控制体重的益生菌

The authors studied 100 children and adolescents between ages 6 and 18 with obesity and insulin resistance — a condition in which cells in the muscles, fat and liver don't respond well to insulin and can't easily absorb blood glucose, so the pancreas produces more insulin to help glucose enter the cells. The reduced absorption creates a buildup of glucose in the blood over time, potentially setting the stage for the onset of type 2 diabetes.

作者研究了100名年龄在6岁到18岁之间的儿童和青少年，他们患有肥胖和胰岛素抵抗——在这种情况下，肌肉、脂肪和肝脏的细胞对胰岛素没有很好的反应，也不能轻易吸收血糖，因此胰腺产生更多的胰岛素来帮助葡萄糖进入细胞。随着时间的推移，血液中葡萄糖的吸收减少，可能会导致2型糖尿病的发生。

All children were on a Mediterranean-style diet with a calorie limit tailored to their needs, said the study's lead author, Dr. Flavia Prodam, an associate professor in clinical nutrition in the department of health sciences at the University of Piemonte Orientale in Italy. Children then received either the probiotic for eight weeks or a placebo.

该研究的主要作者、意大利东方皮埃蒙特大学(健康科学学系临床营养学副教授弗拉维亚·普罗达姆博士说，所有的孩子都采用了地中海式饮食，并根据自己的需要设定了热量限制。然后儿童服用8周的益生菌或安慰剂。

Both groups ultimately experienced a reduction in body mass index, waist circumference, blood pressure, insulin resistance and concentrations of E. coli bacteria in their guts. The participants who took probiotics, however, saw greater results in weight loss, insulin sensitivity and reduced E. coli concentrations.

两组人最终的体重指数、腰围、血压、胰岛素抵抗和肠道内大肠杆菌浓度均下降。然而，服用益生菌的参与者在减肥、胰岛素敏感性和大肠杆菌浓度下降方面有更大的效果。

Caring for your child's gut health

照顾孩子的肠道健康

Parents interested in caring for their child's gut microbiota for weight management or overall health can look to whole food sources. Many fermented foods and cultured dairy products — such as yogurt, kefir, goat milk, aged cheeses, kimchi, miso and sauerkraut — contain living probiotics. Packaged foods can contain single or multiple probiotic strains, but the ingredients label can delineate which strains are present and whether they're live and active.

想要照顾孩子肠道微生物群以控制体重或保持整体健康的父母可以从全食物来源寻求帮助。许多发酵食品和培养乳制品——如酸奶、开菲尔、山羊奶、陈年奶酪、泡菜、味噌和泡菜——都含有活的益生菌。包装食品可能含有单个或多个益生菌菌株，但成分标签可以说明哪些菌株存在，以及它们是否是活的和活性的。

Foods such as "wheat, onion, banana, garlic and leek" can also feed the Bifidobacteria in our guts, Prodam said.

普罗达姆说，像“小麦、洋葱、香蕉、大蒜和韭菜”这样的食物也可以喂养肠道中的双歧杆菌。

Whether children have more or less of certain probiotic strains can be genetically and environmentally predisposed, Moran said — but microbiota composition can also be "directly dependent on eating particular foods, including changes in the microbiota when we eat overly processed foods."

莫兰说，儿童体内某些益生菌的含量是由遗传因素和环境因素决定的，但是微生物群的组成也可能“直接依赖于吃特定的食物，包括我们吃过度加工的食物时微生物群的变化。”

"Eating a varied diet and avoiding lots of processed foods is the most important thing," Moran added. "The more processed foods that you eat, the more likely you are to have a bad effect on the microbiome. That could potentially lead to obesity but also potentially (gastrointestinal) distress and inflammatory conditions of the GI tract."

莫兰补充说:“饮食多样化，避免大量加工食品是最重要的。”“你吃的加工食品越多，就越有可能对微生物群产生不良影响。这可能会导致肥胖，但也可能导致胃肠道不适和胃肠道炎症。”