少食少餐，益壽延年

Stop eating when you are 80 percent full and you could live up to 30 percent longer, a study by Australian scientists has found.

據《生命時報》報道，澳大利亞科學家一項研究表明：如果人類時常保持兩分饑餓，其壽命可最多增長30%。報道說，在年輕時經常吃撐，危害甚至會影響兩代人的健康。哪怕是短期暴飲暴食，不僅體重會上升，對全身的傷害也會持續多年。

為什么會吃多？

第一是自助餐，這無需多言。第二是商務宴請，往往持續時間長，不知不覺就吃多。第三是朋友聚會，心情好容易吃多。第四是工作太忙吃得太急。從開始進食到大腦接到飽的信號需要20分鐘，很多人通常用不了10分鐘就解決一頓飯。第五是壓力太大，飲食不規律，晚餐過于豐盛。

吃多會造成什么問題？

衛生部首席健康教育專家洪昭光說：“每天攝入的食物，只需要達到胃的容量的一半，就足夠人一天所需了。否則，只會讓機體超負荷運轉，造成一系列健康問題。”

健康風險：

肥胖：無數科學研究證實，肥胖會帶來包括心血管疾病、高血壓、糖尿病、動脈硬化以及由此引起的各種并發癥。

胃病：吃得過飽所帶來的直接危害就是胃腸道負擔加重，消化不良。

疲勞：吃得過飽，會引起大腦反應遲鈍，加速大腦的衰老。

癌癥：日本科學家指出，吃得太飽會抑制細胞抗癌因子，增加患癌幾率。

老年癡呆：日本有關專家還發現，大約有30%—40%的老年癡呆病人，在青壯年時期都有長期飽食的習慣。

骨質疏松：長期飽食易使骨骼過分脫鈣，患骨質疏松的概率會大大提高。

Eat less, live longer

Stop eating when you are 80 percent full and you could live up to 30 percent longer, a study by Australian scientists has found, Life Times reports. Overeating by the young may even damage the health of the next generation. And the negative impact of short-term overeating could last for years, not to mention adding unsightly fat.

Why do we eat so much?

One reason is buffet lunches -- they need no explanation. Business dinners that last for hours also encourage people to eat too much. Dinner parties with friends are also culprits, as being in a good mood gives you an appetite. Eating too quickly because you are busy can also be a problem. It takes 20 minutes for the brain to receive a warning of overeating, so wolfing lunch in 10 minutes is not a good idea. Finally, skipping meals due to work pressure can lead to binge-eating in the evening.

What wrong about overeating?

"Taking in half the food that your stomach can contain is enough for you to survive. Eating too much places a burden on your organs and causes many health problems," Hong Shaoguang, chief heath education expert of the Ministry of Heath, said.

Health risks:

·Obesity: Countless scientific studies have proved that obesity causes heart disease, hypertension, diabetes, arteriosclerosis and other complications.

·Gastropathy: Overeating can cause severe indigestion even damage the gastrointestinal tract.

·Fatigue: Overeating slows brain reactions and accelerates the brain's aging process.

·Cancer: Japanese scientists have found that overeating can switch off a gene that combats cancer.

·Dementia: Japanese experts have found that 30 to 40 percent of senile dementia patients overate when they were younger.

·Osteoporosis: Regular overeating decalcifies bones and increases the risk of Osteoporosis (brittle bone disease).

(China.org.cn September 20, 2010)