What we think we know about metabolism may be wrong
我們自認為了解的新陳代謝知識，或許并非正解
Everyone knows conventional wisdom about metabolism: People put pounds on year after year from their 20s onward because their metabolisms slow down, especially around middle age. Women have slower metabolisms than men. That's why they have a harder time controlling their weight. Menopause only makes things worse, slowing women's metabolisms even more.
每個人都聽說過那些關于新陳代謝的傳統觀念：人的體重從 20 歲開始會年復一年地往上增長，因為身體新陳代謝的速度開始放緩，且這種情況在中年時期尤為凸顯。另外，女性的新陳代謝要比男性慢，這也是為什么她們控制體重的難度更大。更年期的到來則是讓這樣的情況“雪上加霜”，它會使得女性的新陳代謝更為緩慢。
All wrong, according to a paper published Thursday in "Science". Using data from nearly 6,500 people, ranging in age from 8 days to 95 years, researchers discovered that there are four distinct periods of life, as far as metabolism goes.
周四發表在《科學》期刊上的一篇論文指出，以上說法都是錯的。研究人員采集了將近 6500 人的數據，其年齡在 8 天至 95 歲不等。研究人員發現，就新陳代謝情況來說，人的生命可以劃分為四個不同階段。
Once the researchers controlled for body size and the amount of muscle people have, they also found no differences between men and women.
研究人員還發現，當他們對體型和肌肉量進行了控制變量處理時，其實男女之間的新陳代謝并無二致。
The four periods of metabolic life depicted in the new paper show "there isn't a constant rate of energy expenditure per pound," Leanne Redman, an energy balance physiologist, noted. The rate depends on age. That runs counter to the long-standing assumptions she and others in nutrition science held.
莉安·瑞德曼（音）是研究能量平衡方向的生理學家，她特別指出，那篇新論文中所論述的有關生命新陳代謝的四個階段，說明“其實平均每磅體重所對應的能量消耗速率并不是恒定的”。這個速率取決于年齡。而這一點，與瑞德曼和其他一眾營養學家長期以來所提出的假設是背道而馳的。
The findings from the research are likely to reshape the science of human physiology and could also have implications for some medical practices, like determining appropriate drug doses for children and older people.
這次的研究結果可能會重塑人體生理學，或許也會對不少醫療實踐產生影響，比如分別為兒童和老年人確定合適的藥物劑量。
Rozalyn Anderson, a professor of medicine at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, who studies aging, wrote a perspective accompanying the paper. In an interview, she said she was "blown away" by its findings. "We will have to revise some of our ideas," she added.
威斯康星大學麥迪遜分校研究老齡化問題的醫學教授羅澤林·安德森（音）撰寫了一篇與論文配套的觀點文章。她在一次采訪中表示，自己被這項研究結果“震驚到了”。她還補充道，“我們之后不得不修正一些觀點了”。
"There is a myth of retaining youth," Anderson said. "That's not what the biology says. In and around age 60, things start to change."
安德森說：“是有這么個關于青春永駐的神話，但生物學里邊可沒有這樣的說法。人一旦來到 60 歲左右，情況就開始有所變化了。”
主編：Bao、木子、Jenny
品控：木子
審核：夏天
重點詞匯
metabolism
/m??t?b.?l.?.z?m/
n. 新陳代謝
英文釋義：the chemical processes in living things that change food, etc. into energy and materials for growth
onward
/?ɑ?n.w?d/
adv. 向前
相關詞匯：on（prep. 在……上面）
詞根詞綴：-ward（表示“朝著某個方向”）
相關詞匯：toward（prep. 朝向...）
相關詞匯：to（prep. 朝，向）
相關詞匯：downward（adj. 朝下的）
相關詞匯：backward（adj. 朝后的）
相關詞匯：forward（adj. 向前的）
同義詞：onwards
搭配短語：onwards and upwards（步步高升）
menopause
/?men.?.pɑ?z/
n. 更年期
相關詞匯：pause（n. 暫停）
詞根詞綴：meno-（與“月份”或“經期”相關）
相關詞匯：menses（n. 月經）
相關詞匯：menstruation（n. 經期）
as far as it goes
在一定程度上
英文釋義：used for saying that sth. is good or true only to a limited degree
近義詞：with regard to
例句：As far as the weather goes, we've been having nothing but rain for the past week.
control for
考慮（可能影響實驗結果的外部因素）
相關詞匯：control（v. 控制）
搭配短語：to control for variations
metabolic
/met?.??bɑ?.l?k/
adj. 新陳代謝的
相關詞匯：metabolism（n. 新陳代謝）
搭配短語：metabolic rate
搭配短語：metabolic activities
depict
/d??p?kt/
v. 描述；描寫；描繪
英文釋義：to describe something or someone in writing or speech（v. 描述；描寫）
詞義拓展：to show an image in a picture（v. 描繪）
constant
/?kɑ?n.st?nt/
adj. 恒定的，不變的；不斷的，連續發生的
搭配短語：to live in constant fear of being attacked
英文釋義：staying the same
搭配短語：contant speed
expenditure
/?k?spen.d?.t??/
n. 耗費；開支
相關詞匯：expend（v. 花費，消耗）
搭配短語：public expenditure
搭配短語：the expenditure of emotion
physiologist
/?f?z.i?ɑ?.l?.d??st/
n. 生理學家
相關詞匯：physical（adj. 身體的，軀體的）
詞根詞綴：-ologist（表示“......學家”）
run counter to
與……背道而馳
相關詞匯：counter（n. 對立面，相反）
搭配短語：counter to
同義詞：the opposite of
同義詞：be / go counter to
implication
/??m.pl??ke?.??n/
n. 可能的影響（或作用、結果）；暗示
practice
/?pr?k.t?s/
n.（專業性強的）工作，業務（活動）
dose
/do?s/
n.（藥的）一劑
相關詞匯：drug（n. 藥物）
英文釋義：the amount of a medicine or a drug that you should take
blow away
使……大為驚訝
相關詞匯：blow（v.（風）吹，刮）
英文釋義：be extremely impressed
例句：That performance blew me away.
revise
/r??va?z/
v. 修訂，修正（意見或計劃）；改變，修改（文稿）
搭配短語：to revise the articles
搭配短語：to revise the school curriculum
搭配短語：to revise one's opnion
搭配短語：to revise the policy
retain
/r??te?n/
v. 保持，保有
英文釋義：to continue to have sth.
近義詞：preserve
搭配短語：to retain much of its original charm
搭配短語：to retain one's title
