社会活动能使你保持苗条身材

译者 Sedimentaryrock

Keeping a busy social life amongst lots of friends may keep people slimmer than spending hours on a treadmill, according to scientists.

科学家称，与许多朋友保持频繁的社交活动比在跑步机上跑几个小时对于人们保持苗条身材的效果要更好。

They say that socialising and meeting with friends helps boost levels of 'brown fat' in the body which burns calories to generate heat.

他们说，社交活动和与朋友聚会能够帮助提高身体里的‘褐色脂肪’量，褐色脂肪能够燃烧卡路里产生热量。

Living in a stimulating, social environment was found to reduce abdominal fat in mice by half over four weeks, even if they ate more.

在刺激和社会环境中生活的小鼠，四个星期中腹部脂肪减少了一半，即使他们可能进食更多。

US researchers say that social stimulation aids weight loss by converting white fat into brown.

美国的研究人员说，社会生活的刺激能够帮助人们通过将白色脂肪转变成褐色脂肪而降低体重。

White stores calories and makes us fatter, while brown burns energy to generate heat.

白色脂肪储存卡路里并且使我们肥胖，而褐色脂肪燃烧能量产生热量。

Converting white fat into brown is notoriously difficult, normally requiring long term exposure to cold conditions or activating part of the body's nervous system.

众所周知，将白色脂肪转变为褐色脂肪是很难的，通常需要长时间地暴露在寒冷的条件下，或者激活人体神经系统的一部分。

However, scientists from Ohio State University now think that having a busy social life is an even more effective way of changing white fat into brown.  

但是，俄亥俄州立大学的科学家们现在认为，忙碌的社交生活是将白色脂肪转变为褐色脂肪的更为有效的方式。

The team came up with their theory by studying the effects of various living environments on mice.  

这个研究小组通过研究小鼠在各种环境中生活的影响得出这一理论。

Those who lived alongside a greater number of mice, had more space and toys to stimulate them lost far more weight over the course of the study than their 'couch potato' counterparts.

在研究过程中，那些与一大群小鼠一起生活，有更大的空间和玩具的刺激，比相对应的一组整天呆着不动的小鼠减掉了更多的体重。

Increased levels of brown fat may also be attributed to an increase in a brain chemical called brain-derived neurotrophic factor [BDNF] found in the sociable mice.  

在社会性的小鼠大脑中发现，褐色脂肪的增加可能还归因于大脑中的一种化学物质，称为脑源性神经营养因子。

Study author Dr Matthew During, whose team's findings appear in journal Cell Metabolism said: I'm still amazed at the degree of fat loss that occurs.

马修.德林（Matthew During）博士的研究小组的发现载于《细胞代谢》杂志上，他说，我对发生的脂肪减少的程度仍然感到惊讶。

‘The amount that comes off is far more than you would get with a treadmill. TIt's usually hard to induce the switch from white to brown fat.

“脂肪减少的数量比你在跑步机上达到的程度要高得多。通常白色脂肪转变为褐色脂肪是非常不容易的。”

‘It takes months of cold - you really have to push - and it doesn't induce brown fat to the same degree as what on the surface appears to be a relatively mild change in physical and social environments.’

“需要几个月的寒冷环境，你需要非常努力，并且褐色脂肪的转变并不能达到同一程度，在自然和社会环境中，表面上显示出来的变化是相当温和的。”

Explaining how new technology had threatened face-to-face socialising, he added: ‘It's not just a sedentary lifestyle and high calorie foods, but an increasing lack of social engagement.’

在解释新技术如何威胁到面对面的社会交流时，他补充说：“并不只是久坐不动的生活方式和高卡路里的食物，还有越来越缺乏的社会参与。”

Co-author Dr Lei Cao said: ‘After four weeks in the enriched environment, the animals' abdominal fat decreased by 50 per cent.

共同作者曹雷（音译）博士说：“在丰富的生活环境中生活四个星期之后，这些小动物的腹部脂肪减少了百分之五十。”

‘We often think of stress as a negative thing, but some kinds of stress can be good for your health.

“我们经常认为压力是一个负面因素，但是有些压力对你的健康是有利的。”

‘In fact, the enriched housing is more taxing for the animals as they have to deal with each other and with a more complex environment.’

“事实上，在丰富的房屋环境中这些小动物需要更加花费精力，因为他们必须相互应对，并且是在更加复杂的环境下。”

Dr Cao added: ‘The new result may offer insight into studies showing a link between loneliness and ill health.

曹博士补充说：“新的成果可能为研究提供了见解，表明孤独和健康状况不佳之间的联系。”

‘Loneliness is a profound factor for cancer and death; it's on par with cigarette smoking. Social engagement is very important.’

孤独是癌症和死亡的深层因素，与吸烟的影响相同。社会参与是非常重要的。