Being cold helps you lose weight, a new study found.
一項新的研究表明，寒冷可以使人減肥。

Exercise or being exposed to low temperatures creates more 'good' brown and beige types of body fat which burns calories in the body.
運動或暴露在低溫下可以創(chuàng)造出更多“有益的”褐色和灰褐色類型的脂肪，他們可以在體內(nèi)燃燒卡路里。

Previous research has found being cold mimics the effects of exercise, protecting against obesity and improving metabolic health.
此前的研究發(fā)現(xiàn)，寒冷可以模仿運動的效果，防止肥胖并改善代謝健康。

Now, a new study has discovered how exposure to cold dramatically alters the composition of bacteria the gut, and this leads to fat-burning, improved glucose metabolism, and reduced body weight.
目前，一項新的研究發(fā)現(xiàn)了暴露在寒冷中是如何改變腸道細(xì)菌的組成，這可以引起脂肪燃燒，提高葡萄糖的新陳代謝，并降低體重。

The findings could provide new treatments for overweight or obese people, researchers said.
研究人員稱，該發(fā)現(xiàn)可以為超重或肥胖人士提供新的治療方案。

Professor Mirko Trajkovski of the University of Geneva said: 'We provide compelling evidence that gut microbes play a key role in our ability to adapt to the environment by directly regulating our energy balance.
瑞士日內(nèi)瓦大學(xué)米爾科·特拉伊科夫斯基教授說：“我們可以提供強有力的證據(jù)證明在我們的能力下，腸道微生物通過直接調(diào)控我們體內(nèi)的能量平衡從而在適應(yīng)環(huán)境上發(fā)揮著關(guān)鍵作用。

'We are excited about exploring the therapeutic potential of these findings and testing whether targeting some of these microbes could be a promising approach for preventing obesity and related metabolic conditions.'
“我們對于能夠探索這些發(fā)現(xiàn)的醫(yī)療潛力，并且測試這些微生物中的一些對于防止肥胖和相關(guān)的新陳代謝疾病是否是一個有前景的方法感到很興奮。”

While ordinary white fat- known as 'bad' fat - piles on when we eat more calories than we burn, brown fat seems to burn excess calories to generate heat.
當(dāng)我們吃進去的卡路里比燃燒的卡路里多時，普通的白脂肪--也被稱為”壞的“脂肪--就會堆積起來。褐色脂肪似乎可以燃燒多余的卡路里來產(chǎn)生熱量。

We know babies have lots of brown fat — they need it to keep warm — but studies have shown there are small amounts in the necks of adults, too.
我們知道嬰兒有很多的褐色脂肪--他們需要褐色脂肪來保暖---但是研究顯示，在人類脖子上也存在著少量的褐色脂肪。

Experts believe that certain activities could switch on this fat, potentially helping to burn calories at a greater rate.
專家相信某些活動可以啟動這種脂肪，可能有助于以更大的速度燃燒卡路里。

And studies have shown certain activities, such as sleeping in a cold, can trigger the formation of more brown fat in the body.
而這些研究已經(jīng)顯示某些活動，例如睡在寒冷的環(huán)境中，可以觸發(fā)體內(nèi)更多褐色細(xì)胞的形成。

Gut microbes have also been implicated in obesity and obesity-related conditions like Type 2 diabetes and heart disease.
腸道微生物同樣也與脂肪和脂肪相關(guān)疾病，例如二型糖尿病和心臟疾病有關(guān)。

It is thought the composition of millions of bacteria in our intestines can effect how we metabolise different foods and, therefore, how much weight we gain.
據(jù)認(rèn)為，我們腸道內(nèi)數(shù)百萬細(xì)菌的組成可以影響我們代謝不同食物的方式，由此影響我們會增重多少。

Researchers theorised the health benefits of being exposed to cold may be linked to gut bacteria.
研究人員推斷稱暴露在寒冷中的健康益處可能與腸道細(xì)菌有關(guān)聯(lián)。

As part of the new study, they exposed mice to cold temperature of 6°C (43°F) for up to 10 days.
作為新研究的一部分，他們把老鼠放置在6攝氏度（43華氏度）的低溫下達10天。

They discovered this caused a major shift in the composition of the mice's gut microbes and preventing them from gaining weight.
他們發(fā)現(xiàn)，這引發(fā)了老鼠體內(nèi)腸道細(xì)菌組成的主要變化并阻止他們增加重量。

Then, the cold-induced gut bacteria were transplanted into other mice that did not harbour gut microbes because they had been raised in a germ-free environment.
之后，這些由寒冷引起的腸道細(xì)菌被移植到了其他因生長在無菌環(huán)境中而不含有腸道微生物的老鼠體內(nèi)。

It was found these mice had improved glucose metabolism, increased tolerance to cold temperatures.
據(jù)發(fā)現(xiàn)，這些老鼠改善了葡萄糖的新陳代謝，提升了對低溫的忍耐力。

The mice also lost weight as the changes in gut bacteria promoted the formation of beige fat.
由于腸道細(xì)菌的改變促進了灰褐色脂肪的形成，這些老鼠的重量也下降了。

Professor Trajkovski said: 'These findings demonstrate that gut microbes directly regulate the energy balance in response to changes in the environment.'
特拉伊科夫斯基教授說：“這些發(fā)現(xiàn)證明腸道微生物可以直接調(diào)節(jié)能量平衡以應(yīng)對環(huán)境變化?！?/p>

However, after three weeks of cold exposure, body weight began to stabilise.
不過，暴露在寒冷中三周后，體重就開始穩(wěn)定下來。

The intestine grew so it absorbed more nutrients from food, offsetting any additional weight loss.
因為腸道開始成長，所以從食物中吸收了更多的營養(yǎng)，彌補了任何額外的體重下降。

He added: 'These findings demonstrate that gut microbes enable mammals to harvest more energy from food as a way to adapt to the increased energy demand associated with long periods of cold exposure, thereby helping to protect against hypothermia.
他補充說，這些發(fā)現(xiàn)證明腸道微生物能夠使哺乳動物從食物中收獲更多能量，以此適應(yīng)與長時間暴露在低溫下有關(guān)的能量需求上升，從而有助于防止體溫過低。

'We were surprised to see that gut microbes had such dramatic effects on the structure and function of the intestine.'
“我們很驚訝地發(fā)現(xiàn)腸道微生物對腸道結(jié)構(gòu)和功能有如此巨大的影響?！?/p>

The team now plans to study the molecular mechanisms by which gut microbes sense changes in the environment, such as cold, which affect how much energy a person uses up.
該團隊現(xiàn)在正計劃研究分子機制，通過它腸道微生物可以意識到像寒冷這樣的環(huán)境變化，這種環(huán)境變化可以影響一個人到底能消耗多少能量。

They are also looking into how changing certain gut bacteria may prevent obesity by remodelling intestinal tissue and thereby decreasing the absorption of nutrients in the gut.
他們也正在研究某種腸道細(xì)菌的改變可能會如何通過改變腸道組織結(jié)構(gòu)來阻止肥胖，從而降低腸道中營養(yǎng)成分的吸收。

Vocabulary

glucose: 葡萄糖
hypothermia: 體溫過低

英文來源：每日郵報
譯者：王肖肖
審校&編輯：丹妮