基因作祟 欧美人天生爱吃汉堡

Our frozen ancestors of the Ice Age needed plenty of fat in their diets to keep warm – and it seems we might still be carrying their genetic torch. 在遥远而又寒冷的冰河时期，我们的祖先需要从食物中获取大量的脂肪，以用来保持温暖，不过生活在现代社会的人们似乎依旧继承者祖先们的这一遗传基因。

For British scientists have discovered a DNA switch in the brain that they believe makes Europeans far more likely to binge on fatty food than those living in the East.

最近，英国的科学家们通过研究发现，人体大脑中的某种DNA作用之下，与生活在东方的人们相比，欧洲人更加热衷于高脂肪高热量的食物。

The researchers from Aberdeen University made their discovery after comparing the DNA of people with the genetic code of birds and mice.

英国阿伯丁大学的研究者们将人体的DNA与鸟类和鼠类的遗传代码进行比较之后，提出了这一发现。

They found a switch – a piece of DNA that turns genes on or off within cells – which controls the galanin gene.

他们发现了在细胞内部的一种“开关”——一段DNA片段，它的“开启”和“关闭”直接控制着促生长激素神经肽基因。

This gene is switched on in the part of the brain called the hypothalamus and regulates appetite and thirst.

这种基因可以“开启”人体大脑中被称为下丘脑的区域，并且调节食欲和是否口渴等感受。

The switch comes in different varieties. A weaker version was found in 16 per cent of Europeans – compared with 30 per cent of Asians studied.

不过这种“开关”效应的强弱在不同人群的身上是有差别的。研究发现，有百分之十六的欧洲人身上发现了这种效果并不明显，而在亚洲人身上则有百分之三十的体现。

Dr Alasdair MacKenzie, who led the study, published in the journal Neuropsychopharmacology, said: ‘The switch controls the area of the brain which allows us to select which foods we would like to eat and if it is turned on too strongly we are more likely to crave fatty foods.

主要这项研究的Alasdair MacKenzie博士说：“这项‘开关’控制着大脑的某个区域，这个区域让我们选择了自己喜欢吃的食物，如果‘开关’开启过于强烈，我们则更倾向于喜爱高热量高脂肪的食物。”

‘The fact that the weaker switch is found more frequently in Asians compared with Europeans suggests they are less inclined to select such options.

“事实上，与欧洲人相比，亚洲人的‘开关’效果体现更弱一些，这也就导致他们对于食物的选择。”

‘These results give us a glimpse into early European life. A preference for food with a higher fat content would have been important for survival.

“这些研究结果给我们提供了一个机会，一窥早期欧洲人的生活状态。在食物方面，高脂肪含量的食物是生存的重要保障。”

'The negative effects of fat and alcohol we see today would not have mattered so much then as life expectancies were between 30 and 40 years.'

“我们今天所看到的高脂肪和酗酒所导致的副作用可能在当时并不是一个问题，因为当时人类的寿命仅仅是在三十到四十岁之间。”

The researchers say the study could pave the way for obesity treatments.

“研究者称，研究结果能够为我们提供治疗肥胖症新的方法。”