万万没想到! 吃辣椒还能治疗肠炎等消化道疾病!_BEC初级作文

万万没想到! 吃辣椒还能治疗肠炎等消化道疾病!

The ingredient that makes hot chilies hot is called capsaicin—and it can set your mouth on fire.

让辣椒产生辣味的成分叫做辣椒素，它会让你的嘴巴冒火。

But the spicy compound has a soothing effect too: in your gut, it kicks off a chemical cascade that might calm the immune system and reduce inflammation.

不过这种辛辣的化合物也有舒缓作用：它会在肠道中触发一种化学级联反应，这种反应可以稳定免疫系统并减少炎症。

Researchers studied that phenomenon in mice. Once inside the gut, the capsaicin molecules plugged into a specific receptor, spurring the release of another compound, called anandamide.

研究人员在小白鼠身上对这一现象进行了研究。一旦进入肠道，辣椒素分子便会进入一种特殊的受体，促进另一种名为“大麻素”的化合物的释放。

万万没想到! 吃辣椒还能治疗肠炎等消化道疾病!1

Anandamide happens to be an endocannabinoid -- similar to active ingredients in marijuana -- which binds to cannabinoid receptors in the gut.

这是一种内源性大麻素，类似于大麻中的有效成分，它会与肠道中的大麻素受体结合。

That last step in the cascade ramped up the production of cells that damp down inflammation in the mice -- and even cured them of a mouse model of diabetes type 1, an autoimmune disease.