In recent years, large-scale epidemiological studies have found that people whose diets include dark chocolate have a lower risk of heart disease than those whose diets do not. Other research has shown that chocolate includes flavonols, natural substances that can reduce the risk of disease. But it hasn't been clear how these flavonols could be affecting the human body, especially the heart. New findings from Virginia Tech and Louisiana State University, however, suggest an odd explanation for chocolate's goodness: It improves health largely by being indigestible.

近年来，大规模流行病学研究发现常吃黑巧克力者心脏病发病率比不吃黑巧克力的人要低。还有研究发现巧克力中含有黄醇酮，这是一种天然物质，可以降低疾病发病率。但黄醇酮是如何影响人体，特别是心脏，原理仍不分明。不过，弗吉尼亚理工大学与路易斯安那州立大学的新发现为巧克力的益处提供了一种奇异的解释：它因为难以消化，所以对健康格外有益。

Researchers at Louisiana State reached this conclusion after simulating the human digestive system in glass vessels. One represented the stomach and the small intestine, with their digestive enzymes, and a second reproduced a large-intestine-like environment, with gut microbes from human volunteers. The scientists then added cocoa powder to the stomach vessel.

路易斯安那州立大学的研究者在玻璃容器中模拟人类的消化系统后得到了这个结论。其中一个器具用来模拟胃和小肠，内有消化酶，另一个器具用来模拟类似大肠的环境，内有从志愿者体内提取的肠道微生物。之后科学家把恒星粉放入这些模拟肠胃的容器中。

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