少食少餐，益寿延年

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

据《生命时报》报道，澳大利亚科学家一项研究表明：如果人类时常保持两分饥饿，其寿命可最多增长30%。报道说，在年轻时经常吃撑，危害甚至会影响两代人的健康。哪怕是短期暴饮暴食，不仅体重会上升，对全身的伤害也会持续多年。

为什么会吃多？

第一是自助餐，这无需多言。第二是商务宴请，往往持续时间长，不知不觉就吃多。第三是朋友聚会，心情好容易吃多。第四是工作太忙吃得太急。从开始进食到大脑接到饱的信号需要20分钟，很多人通常用不了10分钟就解决一顿饭。第五是压力太大，饮食不规律，晚餐过于丰盛。

吃多会造成什么问题？

卫生部首席健康教育专家洪昭光说：“每天摄入的食物，只需要达到胃的容量的一半，就足够人一天所需了。否则，只会让机体超负荷运转，造成一系列健康问题。”

健康风险：

肥胖：无数科学研究证实，肥胖会带来包括心血管疾病、高血压、糖尿病、动脉硬化以及由此引起的各种并发症。

胃病：吃得过饱所带来的直接危害就是胃肠道负担加重，消化不良。

疲劳：吃得过饱，会引起大脑反应迟钝，加速大脑的衰老。

癌症：日本科学家指出，吃得太饱会抑制细胞抗癌因子，增加患癌几率。

老年痴呆：日本有关专家还发现，大约有30%—40%的老年痴呆病人，在青壮年时期都有长期饱食的习惯。

骨质疏松：长期饱食易使骨骼过分脱钙，患骨质疏松的概率会大大提高。

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)