托福阅读：垃圾食品与抑郁症

预防和攻克抑郁症或许有很多手段，但是最近的研究发现少吃垃圾食品能有效减少抑郁症的发病率，下面的新托福考试阅读练习材料我们关注的就是这个话题。

Eating food containing trans fats and saturated fats could contribute to depression, scientists reported.

科学家发现，多吃富含发式脂肪和饱和脂肪的食物可能使人患上抑郁症。

Researchers in Spain followed 12,059 people over six years, analyzing their diets, lifestyles and medical problems. The people who ate the most trans fats, which are commonly found in pastries and fast food, had a 48% increased risk of depression compared with people who did not eat trans fats.

西班牙研究员6年随访12059志愿者。经过分析志愿者们的饮食习惯、生活方式及健康问题。与不摄取反式脂肪的志愿者相比，大量摄取发式脂肪(普遍存在于甜点及快餐中)的志愿者患抑郁症的几率高出48%。

Individuals who ate a lot of polyunsaturated fats -- a healthier type of fat that is found in olive oil, for example -- had a lower risk of depression.

志愿者食用类似橄榄油含有的不饱和脂肪更加健康，患抑郁症的风险也降低了。

Many people with heart disease also have depression, the authors noted. It could be that trans fats contribute to both disorders through a similar mechanism. Bad fat increases inflammation in the body. In the heart, that contributes to the buildup of plaque that can cause heart disease. In the brain, substances secreted by inflammation may interfere with neurotransmitters that affect mood.

研究员还指出，许多心脏病患者同时也患有抑郁症，根本上的作用机制可能类似：因为反式脂肪增加体内发炎，非健康脂肪增加了导致心脏疾病的血小板。大脑中，炎症分泌的某种物质可能干扰神经传导物质来影响心情。

Notes:

neurotransmitter [,njuərəutrænz'mitə, -træns-] n. [生理] 神经递质;[生理] 神经传递素