研究显示肥胖能让味觉变得迟钝_公共英语阅读理解

研究显示肥胖能让味觉变得迟钝

在这项研究中，老鼠被分成两组，分别喂食正常的食物或油腻的食物。8周后，吃高脂肪食物的老鼠的体重比吃正常食物的老鼠重了大约三分之一。科学家还发现，它们的味蕾比瘦老鼠少了大约25%。

Taste buds comprise about 50 to 100 cells of three major types, with different roles in sensing the five primary tastes (salt, sweet, bitter, sour and umami). These cells have a rapid turnover, living an average of just 10 days.

味蕾由三大类大约50至100个细胞组成，在感知五味（咸、甜、苦、酸和鲜）时起着不同作用。这些细胞更新迅速，平均寿命仅10天。

The findings suggest taste buds and their progenitor cells are particularly sensitive to damage from inflammatory chemicals that are raised in obesity, resulting in a rapid decline of the overall number.

该研究发现，味蕾及其其祖细胞对于肥胖时增多的炎性化学物质的危害特别敏感，造成整体数量迅速减少。

The study homed in on one specific inflammatory chemical that is elevated in obesity, called TNF-alpha, which acts as a messenger between the body's cells.

研究锁定一种在肥胖时增多的炎性化学物质，它被称为肿瘤坏死因子（TNF-alpha），充当的是体细胞之间的信使。

The scientists found that mice that had been engineered to be genetically incapable of making TNF-alpha did not experience any reduction in taste buds, despite gaining weight, suggesting this compound may be the culprit.