为什么只是胖了几斤却会对健康造成严重影响呢

I don't mean to be alarmist but some new research has revealed the harm that can be done by gaining even a modest amount of weight - say three kilos over your summer holiday or a blow-out over Christmas. I think it's worth reporting because it goes some way to explaining why being overweight can cause so much ill health. And it goes straight to the heart of the matter, your actual cells.

我并不是危言耸听，但一些新研究揭示：只是重了几斤却会带来严重危害--比如暑假或圣诞节聚会让你胖了3公斤。我认为这是值得报道的，因为这也解释了为什么过重会导致太多疾病。而且这也直击问题的中心，你的实际细胞。

A gain of few pounds can affect your cardiovascular system and increase the risk of heart failure by causing inflammation of your heart muscle. It can also set off harmful cellular inflammation that's linked to insulin resistance. A research team lead by Michael Snyder, an eminent Stanford University genetics professor, tried to understand what happens when we gain weight and to examine risks.

胖了几磅会影响你的心血管系统、通过导致心肌发炎增加你心力衰竭的风险。同时还会导致有害的、与抗胰岛素性相关的细胞炎症。斯坦福大学的著名遗传学教授迈克尔·斯奈德领导的一个研究小组试图理解我们增重之后会发生什么，并测验长胖带来的风险。

"I don't think we know in incredible molecular detail what happens when people gain weight or when they lose it," he said. He and his colleagues persuaded 23 people to start eating a high calorie but not intrinsically unhealthy diet. "It wasn't exactly french fries and McDonald's," said Prof Snyder. "But it was definitely more food."

"我认为当人们胖了或瘦了的时候，他们并不了解其间所发生的令人难以置信的分子细节，"他说道。他和他的同事说服了23人开始吃高热量但本质健康的饮食。"并不是吃的炸薯条和麦当劳，"斯奈德教授说道。"但当然不止这些食物。"

After 30 days researchers measured their weight, which had increased by about 6lb a person. At the same time, they measured markers of cellular health throughout their bodies. Prof Snyder said he was shocked by the changes, which he described in the journal Cell Systems. "A huge number of changes occurred, just with the kind of weight you might gain over the holidays," he said. He added that the major changes involved inflammation and the heart.

30天后，研究人员称了他们的体重，每个人大约增重61磅。同时，研究员测量了他们体内的细胞健康的标志物。斯奈德教授说，变化让他感到吃惊，他在《细胞系统》期刊上描述了这一点。"只是节假日增重几斤却带来了很多变化，"他说道。他补充表示，主要的变化包括炎症和心脏。

The second part of the experiment, however, was very encouraging. After putting on the weight, the volunteers were placed on a diet and given help to lose it. When they did, almost all the damaging changes returned to normal.

然而，研究的第二部分令人鼓舞。增重之后，研究员安排志愿者饮食，帮助他们减肥。当他们瘦回去的时候，几乎所有的有害变化都恢复正常了。