哈佛大學稱麥片粥可能是健康長壽的關鍵

Eating porridge, brown rice or corn each day could protect the heart against disease, Harvard University has found

哈佛大學發現每天食用麥片粥、糙米或穀物能預防心臟疾病。

A small bowl of porridge each day could be the key to a long and healthy life, after a major study by Harvard University found that whole grains reduce the risk of dying from heart disease.

哈佛大學一項主要研究調查發現，每天食用一小碗麥片粥是健康長壽的關鍵。全穀物能降低患心臟疾病死亡的風險。

Although whole grains are widely believed to be beneficial for health it is the first research to look at whether they have a long-term impact on lifespan.

儘管人們普遍認爲全穀物有益健康，該項研究還是首次調查全穀物對人的壽命是否有長期影響。

Researchers followed more than 100,000 people for more than 14 years monitoring their diets and health outcomes.

花費超過14年的時間，研究人員跟蹤調查了10萬以上志願者的飲食和健康狀況。

Everyone involved in the study was healthy in 1984 when they enrolled, but when they were followed up in 2010 more than 26,000 had died.

所有志願者1984年加入該項研究時健康狀況良好。但是在2010年的跟蹤調查中，研究人員發現已有2,600人死亡。

However those who ate the most whole grains, such as porridge, brown rice, corn and quinoa seemed protected from many illnesses and particularly heart disease.

然而，那些食用較多全穀物的志願者，如食用麥片粥、糙米、穀物和藜麥，似乎免受很多疾病，特別是心臟疾病的侵害。

Oats are already the breakfast of choice for many athletes and also for dieters, who find the high fibre levels give them energy for longer.

燕麥，研究人員發現其含有的高纖維素能給人們提供更持久的能量，已經成爲很多運動員的早餐選擇，也是節食者的不二之選。

But scientists found that for each ounce (28g) of whole grains eaten a day – the equivalent of a small bowl of porridge – the risk of all death was reduced by five per cent and heart deaths by 9 per cent.

科學家發現每天食用每盎司（28g）全穀物—相當於一小碗麥片粥—將死亡風險降低了5%，心臟疾病造成的死亡風險降低了9%。

“These findings further support current dietary guidelines that recommend increasing whole-grain consumption,” said lead author Dr Hongyu Wu of Harvard School of Public Health.

“這些發現進一步支持當前的飲食指南，建議多食用全穀物食品，”哈佛大學公衆健康主筆作者吳宏宇博士說到。

“They also provide promising evidence that suggests a diet enriched with whole grains may confer benefits towards extended life expectancy.”

“研究發現也提供可靠證據，表明全穀物飲食可能利於健康長壽。”

The findings remained even when allowing for different ages, smoking, body mass index and physical activity.

甚至考慮年齡，吸菸、體質指數及物理運動因素時，該研究發現仍舊有效。

Whole grains, where the bran and germ remain, contain 25 per cent more protein than refined grains, such as those that make white flour, pasta and white rice.

保有原來的麩皮和胚芽的全穀物，比起用於製作白麪、意大利麪食和白飯的細糧，蛋白質要多出25%。

Previous studies have shown that whole grains can boost bone mineral density, lower blood pressure, promote healthy gut bacteria and reduce the risk of diabetes. One particular fibre found only in oats – called beta-glucan – has been found to lower cholesterol which can help to protect against heart disease. A bioactive compound called avenanthramide is also thought to stop fat forming in the arteries, preventing heart attacks and strokes.

當前研究顯示全穀物能促進骨骼生長，降低血壓，增加益生菌，降低患糖尿病的風險。只能在燕麥中找到的纖維素—β-葡聚糖—能降低膽固醇，預防心臟疾病。燕麥中抗氧化物，被稱爲avenanthramide，能防止動脈脂肪形成，減少心臟病和中風的威脅。

Whole grains are also widely recommended in many dietary guidelines because they contain high levels of nutrients like zinc, copper, manganese, iron and thiamine. They are also believed to boost levels of antioxidants which combat free-radicals.

全穀物營養價值高，富含鋅、銅、錳、鐵和維生素B1元素，能增加抗氧化物質來對抗自由基，很多飲食指南都極力推薦。

The new research suggests that if more people switched to whole grains, thousands of lives could be saved each year. Coronary heart disease is Britain’s biggest killer, responsible for around 73,000 deaths in the UK each year. Around 2.3 million people are living with the condition and one in six men and one in 10 women will die from the disease.

新項研究表明，如果更多的人轉食全穀物，每年可能拯救成千上萬的生命。冠狀動脈（心臟疾病）病是英國的頭號殺手，每年近7,300人死於心臟病。近2,300,000患有心冠狀動脈疾病的人羣中，每6名男性，每10名女性中，就有1人死於心臟疾病。

Health experts said the study proved that whole grains were beneficial to health

健康專家稱研究證明了全穀物有利健康。

Victoria Taylor, Senior Dietician at the British Heart Foundation, said: “This is an interesting study and reinforces existing dietary recommendations to eat more foods high in fibre.

Victoria Taylor，英國心臟協會的高級營養師稱：“這是一項有趣的研究，它建議人們多食用高纖維素食品。”

“People with a higher intake of whole grains also tended to have a healthier overall lifestyle and diet so it might not be the whole grains alone that are having the benefit in relation to cardiovascular disease.

“攝入更多全穀物的人也趨於擁有更加健康的生活方式和飲食習慣，因此在抵禦心血管疾病方面，可能不只是全穀物在做貢獻。”

“But at this time of year when we are all making resolutions to eat better, switching to whole-grain versions of bread, breakfast cereals, pasta and rice is a simple change to make.”

“此時此刻當你下決心吃好吃健康時，只需一個小小的轉變，吃全穀物的麪包、穀類早餐、全穀物意大利麪食和米飯即可。”

The research is published in the journal JAMA: Internal Medicine.

該項研究發表被刊登在JAMA: Internal Medicine上。