The results of this study really surprised us, because people are so committed to losing weight and keeping it off.
这项研究的结果真的让我们吃惊,因为人们是如此致力于减肥并保持下去。
But here's the rub: obesity may cause irreversible changes to the brain, according to this new study by the Yale School of Medicine.
但问题是:根据耶鲁大学医学院的一项新研究,肥胖可能会导致大脑发生不可逆转的变化。
Researchers took 30 people considered obese and 30 people of normal weight.
研究人员挑选了30名肥胖人士和30名正常体重人士。
They were fed fats and sugars using feeding tubes to eliminate the influence of taste and smell.
他们都用进料管来直接摄入脂肪和糖分,以消除味觉和嗅觉的影响。
Researchers then used an MRI to look at brain signals.
随后,研究人员使用核磁共振成像来观察大脑信号。
People with normal weight showed brain activity indicating they were full.
体重正常的人的脑部活动会表明他们已经吃饱了。
That wasn't the case with obese people in the study.
但研究中肥胖人群的情况却不是这样。
Their brain activity showed they did not feel full or satisfied, even after they lost 10 percent of their body weight.
他们的大脑活动表明,即使他们减掉了体重的10%,他们也没有饱腹感或满足感。
Medically, someone is considered obese if they have a body mass index, or BMI, of over 30.
医学上来说,如果一个人的身体质量指数(BMI)超过了30,就被认为是肥胖。
Normal weight is, BMI is between 18 and 25.
而正常体重是,身体质量指数要在18到25之间。
The study was published in the journal Nature Metabolism.
这项研究发表在《自然·代谢》期刊上。
Now, experts agree this study shows why obesity is a disease because of the actual changes to the brain.
现在,专家们一致认为,这项研究表明了为什么肥胖是一种疾病,因为大脑发生了实际的变化。
And that may explain why some people have such a difficult time keeping that weight off.
这也许可以解释为什么有些人很难维持减肥效果。