Scientists believe they have discovered why people who work nightshifts are more prone to weight gain and obesity. Rather than eating more, night workers burn off fewer calories, their research suggests.
The scientists told the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences that eating at night messed with our bodies’ natural metabolism.
The researchers set up a small trial where volunteers ate identical amounts as they switched between working days and nights.
Photo: Tsai Shu-yuan, Liberty Times
照片:自由時報記者蔡淑媛
For the first two days, the volunteers followed a normal schedule — sleeping at night, staying awake during the day, and eating breakfast, lunch and an evening meal. For the next three, they stayed awake and ate their meals at night and slept during the day. Although the timing of the meals changed, the calorie content remained the same.
Total energy expenditure — how much energy the volunteers burned — went down when they switched to the nightshift pattern. Even though participants initially burned more fat — possibly because they slept less during the transition to nights, say the researchers from the University of Colorado — the energy expenditure over the three days of shift work was lower overall.
(LIBERTY TIMES)
科學家認為,他們已經發現上夜班比較會變胖和過胖的原因。他們的研究顯示,上夜班的人不是吃比較多,而是燃燒較少卡路里。
科學家告訴美國「國家科學院院刊」,晚上吃東西會搞亂身體的自然代謝。
研究人員安排小型測試,自願者在日班與夜班工作之間轉換時,吃同樣份量的食物。
最初兩天,自願者作息正常──晚上睡覺,白天醒著,吃早餐、午餐與晚餐。接下來三天,他們晚上不睡覺、夜間吃東西,白天睡覺。進餐的時間雖有改變,但卡路里量一樣。
科羅拉多大學的研究人員說,自願者轉到夜班模式時,整體能量消耗下降,雖然他們一開始可能因為在轉換成夜班的期間睡眠較少而燃燒較多脂肪,但三天的夜班工作期間,能量消耗量整體來說較少。
(自由時報國際新聞中心)
The strongest earthquake to hit Taiwan in 25 years killed at least 16 people and damaged dozens of buildings, but the destruction was largely contained thanks to decades of preparedness work. Taiwan sits on the “Ring of Fire,” an arc of intense seismic activity along the Pacific Rim, and — much like neighboring Japan — has a long history of catastrophic quakes. How does April 3 compare with other recent quakes? The April 3 earthquake, which measured 7.4 on the moment magnitude scale, was felt across Taiwan. It was the most severe since a 7.6 magnitude quake in 1999 killed
Around the time of the Dragon Boat Festival in June, the streets of Taiwan are filled with the delightful aroma of zongzi, a traditional snack made of sticky rice wrapped in leaves. The leaves are folded into a cone and then filled with sticky rice and other ingredients such as braised pork belly, peanuts and salted duck egg yolks. The filled leaves are then tightly tied with kitchen twine and ready for cooking. 每到六月端午時節,街頭巷尾就會飄出粽子的香氣。粽子是將糯米包進粽葉的傳統美食,先將粽葉折成圓錐狀塞入糯米,以及紅燒肉、花生、鹹鴨蛋黃等配料,用棉線綁緊後即可烹煮。 Dragon Boat Festival (n. phr.) 端午節 aroma
Everyone has seen a piece of fruit turn brown after being cut. Have you ever wondered why that happens? It is a common phenomenon that occurs due to a chemical reaction called enzymatic browning. The appearance, flavor and nutritional value of the fruit are all affected by this reaction. Some fruits, such as apples, pears, bananas, avocados and peaches, are more prone to enzymatic browning than others. These fruits contain high levels of an enzyme called polyphenol oxidase, or PPO for short. __1__ This causes a chain of chemical reactions that ultimately transforms the phenolic compounds into
There are several methods to prevent or slow down enzymatic browning in fruit. __3__ This lowers the pH level of the fruit tissue, causing the PPO to be far less active. Another method is to store the fruit in an airtight container or to wrap it tightly with plastic wrap. Doing this will reduce its exposure to oxygen. __4__ Although fruit that has undergone enzymatic browning may look less appealing, it is still safe to eat. However, by using one of these simple methods, you can enjoy fresh-looking fruit for a longer period. 有一些方法能避免或減緩水果的酶促褐變。其中一個有效的方式就是在切片水果的表面塗上酸性物質,像是檸檬汁或醋。這樣做能降低水果組織的酸鹼值,讓 PPO 更不為活躍。另一個方式是將水果存放在密封的容器內,或用保鮮膜將其緊緊包住。這樣做會減少水果與氧氣的接觸。快速蒸一下切片水果或將其短暫浸泡在滾水中也能使PPO失去活性,並終止 PPO 與空氣的作用。 雖然經歷酶促褐變的水果可能看起來較不吸引人,但仍然可以安全食用。然而,藉由採用這些簡單方法中的其中一個,你就能在更長的一段時間享用看起來新鮮的水果。 What Did You