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Glucose can block brain cell secretion of orexin, which keeps us alert. But amino acids can stop that block. Christie Nicholson reports.
葡萄糖能抑制大脑细胞分泌使我们清醒的促食素，但氨基酸可以解除这种抑制。克里斯蒂·尼科尔森报告中说。
The other afternoon I hit a classic mid-afternoon slump. Sleepy and sluggish, I grabbed for a bit of chocolate. But I probably should have had egg whites or maybe a piece of steak. Because a recent study in mice has found that it's protein, not sugar, that provides the perk.
那天午后我又倒了。又困又乏，我抓了块巧克力。但或许我应该吃些蛋白或来块牛排。因为近来有小白鼠研究显示，能提神的是蛋白质，而不是糖。
Brain cells called orexin cells secrete a stimulant that makes us energetic and tells the body to burn calories. If the cells’ activity decreases, narcolepsy or sudden sleepiness, is the result. The work is published in the journal Neuron. [Mahesh M. Karnani et al, Activation of Central Orexin/Hypocretin Neurons by Dietary Amino Acids]
一种叫促食素的大脑细胞分泌让我们精神抖擞的兴奋剂，并且使机体开始燃烧卡路里。如果细胞活性降低，就会导致嗜睡或突然困乏。这篇作品发表在《神经元》杂志上。
Scientists marked orexin cells in mice brains so they would fluoresce. Then they tracked the cells’ activity after feeding the mice different kinds of food.
科学家们在小白鼠大脑中标记出促食素细胞，使它们发光。然后在喂食小白鼠不同食物后，追踪这些细胞的活动。
Turns out that glucose blocks the function of the orexin cells. This effect might be the main reason for the desired post-lunch siesta. But the researchers also found that amino acids stop the glucose action, keeping the cells active and the mice alert. So next time I get that 3 p.m. slow down, I’ll have an egg. If I’m alert enough to remember.
结果发现，葡萄糖抑制了促食素细胞的作用，或许这就是人们午餐后需要小睡的主要原因。但研究人员同时发现氨基酸阻止了葡萄糖的活动，使细胞保持活力，让小白鼠保持清醒。所以下次再到下午三点钟效率低下的时候，如果能撑住想起来这个研究，我会吃个鸡蛋。
—Christie Nicholson 克里斯蒂·尼科尔森
