吃盐也会使人上瘾 竟类似毒品功效

Some will no doubt take the news with a pinch of salt. 也许有人会对接下来的这条资讯产生疑惑。

But researchers claim that salt is addictive in the same way as cigarettes or hard drugs, with the craving triggering the same genes, brain cells and brain connections.

不过研究人员声称，我们平时所食用的盐就如同烟草或硬性杜平一样会让人上瘾，因为它们都能刺激相同的基因，激发大脑细胞对此产生渴望和依赖。

The finding could help explain why many find it so hard to cut back on salt, despite warnings about dangers to blood pressure and heart health.

这想法向或许能解释这样一种现象，再被告知了汇兑血压和心脏产生健康的威胁，不过还是有很多人很难将食物中的盐量降低。

For the study, Australian and American scientists kept some mice on low-salt diets and gave others a salt drip.

澳大利亚和美国的科学家合力完成了这项实验，他们给一部分的小白鼠低盐的饲料，而另一部分却加大盐分的比重。

Activity in the creatures' brains was then compared with that in mice fed normally. They also studied the brains of mice that had been starved of salt for three days and then given salty water to drink freely.

然后将这两批进行特殊“饮食”的白鼠的大脑活动与正常“饮食”的白鼠比较。科学家们还研究了已经三天没有食用任何盐分的白鼠的大脑，之后在给它们盐水，让其自由饮用。

When the rodents were in need of salt, brain cells made proteins more usually linked to addiction to substances such as heroin, cocaine and nicotine.

当白鼠处于对盐有需求的状态时，它们的大脑细胞会产生上瘾的物质，该物质与通常与对海洛因、可卡因、尼古丁的上瘾依赖有关联。

Professor Derek Denton, of the University of Melbourne, said: 'In this study we have demonstrated that one classic instinct, the hunger for salt, is providing neural organisation that subserves addiction to opiates and cocaine.'

墨尔本大学的Derek Denton教授说：“在这项试验中，我们展示了一种经典的本能，对于盐分的‘饥渴’，神经组织的表现就如同对于鸦片和可卡因的上瘾一样。”

The study also revealed that after salt was taken, the brain believes it has received its fix well before it should be physically possible.

研究还揭示了，一旦摄入了盐，大脑便认为已经得到了满足，这也许要先于身体真正对其进行吸收。

In other words, the changes caused by salt cravings disappeared well before the salt could have left the gut, entered the blood and got to the brain.

换句话说，由于对盐的渴求所产生的变化在盐分离开肠道、进入血压和大脑之前便已经消失了。

Professor Denton said: 'It was amazing to see that the genes that were set "off" by the loss of sodium were already beginning to get back to the original state within ten minutes.

Denton教授说：“基因在因为缺盐而产生的变化在补给之后便能在十分钟之内恢复到原本状态，这很是令人吃惊。”

'It is an evolutionary mechanism of high survival value because when an animal is depleted of water or salt it can drink what it needs in five to ten minutes and get out which makes it less susceptible to predators.'

“这是生物进化中的一种生存优势，在缺水或缺盐的状态得到补给之后，在五到十分钟便能恢复到正常状态，这将不会留给猎食者可乘之机。”

The researchers said that the importance of salt to overall health means that cravings for it form 'an ancient instinct' deeply embedded in the brain. This may explain why we find salty foods so tasty.

研究人员表示，对于整体的健康来说，盐分的重要性以及由此产生的渴望是一种“原始的本能”，被深深的刻进了人类的大脑之中，这也就是为什么我们会认为高盐的食物十分美味。