研究发现，吃辛辣食物可能导致痴呆

研究发现，吃辛辣食物可能导致痴呆

Spicy foods might be good for weight loss. Peppery palates are also thought to be hungrier for sex, too. But a new long-term study has revealed a possible significant downside to fiery flavors: a susceptibility to dementia.

辛辣的食物可能有助于减肥，辣味也被认为是对性的渴望。但一项新的长期研究表明，烈性香料可能有一个显著的缺点：易患痴呆症。

“Chili consumption was found to be beneficial for body weight and blood pressure in our previous studies,” says Dr. Zumin Shi of Quatar University, who led the study, in partnership with researchers at the University of South Australia (UniSA). “However, in this study, we found adverse effects on cognition among older adults.”

“在我们之前的研究中，辣椒的食用对体重和血压都有好处。”Quatar大学的Zumin Shi博士与南澳大利亚大学的研究人员合作开展了此项研究。“然而，在这项研究中，我们发现老年人的认知能力会受到负面影响。”

The study, which appears in the journal Nutrients, analyzed 15-year data from over 4,500 Chinese adults age 55 and above, and saw a more rapid cognitive decline — double the average risk — in those who regularly consumed more than 50 grams of chili per day. Notably, those with slimmer builds experienced an even steeper decrease in memory and cognition.

这项发表在《营养》杂志上的研究分析了4500多名55岁及以上的中国成年人15年来的数据，发现那些每天经常食用50克以上辣椒的人认知能力下降更快，是平均水平的两倍。值得注意的是，那些身材苗条的人在记忆力和认知能力方面的下降幅度更大。

“Chili is one of the most commonly used spices in the world and particularly popular in Asia compared to European countries,” says Dr. Ming Li of UniSA. “In certain regions of China, such as Sichuan and Hunan, almost one in three adults consume spicy food every day.”

“辣椒是世界上最常用的香料之一，与欧洲国家相比，它在亚洲尤其受欢迎。”“在中国的某些地区，比如四川和湖南，几乎三分之一的成年人每天都吃辛辣食物。”

Cognitive exams were performed regularly between 1991 and 2006, asking participants to recall a 10-word list, count backwards from 20 and complete some basic subtraction equations.

1991年至2006年期间定期进行认知测试，要求参与者回忆10个单词的列表，从20倒数，完成一些基本的减法方程式。

Hot foods outlined by researchers include both fresh and dried chili peppers, but excluded sweet peppers and black peppercorns. The common factor is capsaicin, the component of chilis that makes them hot, but also gives our metabolism a boost and promotes vascular health. However, this is the first observational study to examine how capsaicin impacts the brain.

研究人员列出的参与者热门食物包括新鲜和干辣椒，但不包括甜椒和黑胡椒。主要成分是辣椒素，辣椒素的成分使辣椒变辣，但也能促进新陈代谢，促进血管健康。然而，这是第一个观察辣椒素如何影响大脑的研究。

The data, pulled from the China Health and Nutrition Survey, showed that those with the highest preference for the picante were more physically active, had a lower body mass index and, interestingly, a lower income. Compared to overweight people, researchers believe slim to average body types may be more vulnerable to the cognitive decline associated with chili — though they don’t hypothesize why.

从中国健康和营养调查中提取的数据显示，那些对异食癖偏好高的人身体更活跃，体重指数更低，有趣的是收入也更低。与超重的人相比，研究人员认为苗条到一般体型的人可能更容易受到与辣椒有关的认知能力下降的影响，不过他们没有假设原因。

The World Health Organization estimates that some 50 million people worldwide have dementia. According to the Alzheimer’s Association, one in three seniors in the US will die with dementia.

世界卫生组织估计全世界大约有5000万人患有痴呆症。根据阿尔茨海默病协会表示，美国三分之一的老年人会死于痴呆症。