Broccoli boosts healthy gut 花椰菜促進腸子健康

 ◎國際新聞中心
Extracts of broccoli and banana may help in fighting stomach problems, research suggests. Laboratory studies show fibres from the vegetables may boost the body’s natural defences against stomach infections.
研究顯示，花椰菜與香蕉萃取物有助對抗胃部問題。實驗室研究顯示，蔬菜中的纖維質或可提振身體對胃部感染的天然防禦力。
Trials are under way to see if they could be used as a medical food for patients with Crohn’s disease. Crohn’s disease is an inflammatory bowel disease that causes symptoms such as diarrhoea and abdominal pain.
目前正在進行測驗，觀察這些萃取物能否作為克隆氏症患者食療之用。克隆氏症是一種腸發炎的疾病，症狀包括腹瀉與腹部疼痛。
It affects about 1 in 1,000 people, and is thought to be caused by a mixture of environmental and genetic factors.The condition is common in developed countries, where diets are often low in fibre and high in processed food.
1000人中約1人會罹患的這種疾病，致病原因據信環境與基因因素都有。飲食少纖維、多加工食品的已開發國家常見這種疾病。
Scientists at the University of Liverpool looked at how roughage from vegetables influenced the passage of harmful bacteria through cells inside the gut. They found that fibres from the plantain, a type of large banana, and broccoli, were particularly beneficial. But a common stabiliser added to processed foods during the manufacturing process had the opposite effect.
利物浦大學科學家研究蔬菜中的粗糙原料，如何影響壞菌通過腸內細胞，他們發現，大蕉（一種大的香蕉）與花椰菜的纖維特別有益，但加工食物過程中添加的一種常見穩定劑效果相反。
新聞辭典
extract：名詞，萃取物。例句：The cream contained extracts of/from several plants.（這種乳霜含有數種植物萃取物。）
inflammatory：形容詞，發炎的，名詞為inflammation，發炎。例句：Aspirin reduces pain and inflammation.（阿斯匹靈減輕疼痛與發炎。）
roughage ：名詞，指粗飼料、粗糙（富有纖維質的）食物、粗糙的材料。例句：Japan’s beef cattle farms, faced with a limited amount of land and feedstuffs, rely heavily on imported grains and roughage.（面對土地與飼料有限，日本的牧場大幅仰賴進口穀物與粗飼料。）