New results from the largest long-term study of brain development and children’s health raise provocative questions about obesity and brain function.
对大脑发育和儿童健康的最大的长期研究的新结果提出了关于肥胖和大脑功能的有争议的问题。
Does excess body weight somehow reduce brain regions that regulate planning and impulse control?
超重是否在某种程度上减少了大脑中控制计划和冲动控制的区域?
Is obesity a result of that brain difference?
肥胖是大脑差异的结果吗?
Or are eating habits, lifestyle, family circumstances and genetics to blame?
还是因为饮食习惯、生活方式、家庭环境和基因?
Previous studies in children and adults have had conflicting results.
以前对儿童和成人的研究得出了相互矛盾的结果。
The new research doesn't settle the matter and outside experts cautioned that misinterpreting it could unfairly perpetuate weight stigma.
这项新研究并没有解决这个问题，外界的专家警告说，对它的误解可能会让肥胖的耻辱不公平地持续下去。
But an editorial published with the study Monday in JAMA Pediatrics called it an important addition to mounting evidence of a link between weight, brain structure and mental function.
但《美国医学会杂志·儿科学》周一发表的一篇社论称，这是体重、大脑结构和心理功能之间存在联系的越来越多证据的重要补充。
If follow-up research confirms the findings, it could lead to new ways to prevent obesity that target improved brain function.
如果后续研究证实了这一发现，它可能会带来针对改善大脑功能的预防肥胖的新方法。
“We don’t know which direction these relationships go nor do they suggest that people with obesity are not as smart as people at a healthy weight,”said Dr. Eliana Perrin, a Duke University pediatrics professor who co-wrote the editorial.
共同撰写这篇社论的杜克大学儿科学教授埃利安娜·佩兰博士说:我们不知道这些关系会朝哪个方向发展，也不认为肥胖人士不如体重正常的人聪明。
The federally-funded study involved 3,190 U.S. children aged 9 and 10.
这项由联邦政府资助的研究涉及3190名9岁和10岁的美国儿童。
They had height and weight measurements, MRI brain scans and computer-based tests of mental function including memory, language, reasoning and impulse control.
他们测量了身高和体重，进行了核磁共振脑部扫描，并进行了基于电脑的心智功能测试，包括记忆、语言、推理和冲动控制。
Nearly 1,000 kids — almost 1 in 3 — were overweight or obese, similar to national statistics.
其中有近1000名儿童(近三分之一)超重或肥胖，与国家统计数据相似。
Researchers found differences in the heaviest children’s brain scans, slightly less volume in the brain region behind the forehead that controls what are known as “executive function” tasks.
研究人员发现，在最重的儿童的脑部扫描中，前额后面控制“执行功能”任务的脑区体积略小。
They include things like ability to plan, control impulses and handle multiple tasks simultaneously.
这些能力包括计划、控制冲动和同时处理多项任务的能力。
The differences compared with normal-weight kids were subtle, said study author Scott Mackey, a neuroscientist at the University of Vermont.
研究报告的作者、佛蒙特大学的神经学家斯科特·麦基说，与正常体重的孩子相比，他们之间的差异很小。
The heaviest kids also had slightly worse scores on computer-based tests of executive function.
体重最重的孩子在执行功能的电脑测试中得分也略低。
But Mackey and lead author Jennifer Laurent, a University of Vermont obesity researcher, said it's unknown whether any of the differences had any meaningful effect on children’s academic functioning or behavior.
但是麦基和佛蒙特大学肥胖问题研究员、该研究的主要作者珍妮弗·洛朗表示，目前还不清楚这些差异是否对儿童的学习功能或行为有任何有意义的影响。
It’s unclear exactly how they are related to weight and Mackey said it’s likely other factors not measured in the study including physical activity and healthy nutrition play a far greater role.
目前还不清楚它们与体重之间的确切关系，麦基说，可能是其他在研究中没有考虑的因素，包括体育活动和健康营养，在其中起了更大的作用。
Research in adults has linked obesity with low-level inflammation throughout the body that can damage blood vessels and may increase risks for heart disease and mental decline.
对成年人的研究发现，肥胖与全身的低水平炎症有关，这些炎症会损害血管，增加患心脏病和智力下降的风险。
Some studies have also found less brain volume in obese adults and researchers theorize that it could be from inflammation.
一些研究还发现，肥胖成年人的脑容量更小，研究人员推测这可能是由炎症引起的。
The new study raises the possibility that inflammatory changes affecting weight, brain structure and function might begin in childhood.
这项新的研究提出了一种可能性，即影响体重、大脑结构和功能的炎症变化可能始于儿童时期。
The latest research confirms previous studies in children and adults, but it leaves many questions unanswered, said Marci Gluck, a research psychologist at the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, who was not part of the research.
美国国家糖尿病、消化和肾脏疾病研究所的研究心理学家玛西·格鲁克说，最新的研究证实了之前对儿童和成年人的研究，但仍有很多问题没有得到解答。
"Executive function deficits and 'intelligence’ are not the same,” Gluck said.
“执行功能缺陷和'智力’不一样，”格鲁克说。
Obesity researcher Natasha Schvey of the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences called the study impressive, but noted that eating habits and obesity are influenced by many factors, including metabolic and psychological differences.
健康科学统一服务大学的肥胖研究人员娜塔莎·施维称这项研究令人印象深刻，但她指出，饮食习惯和肥胖受到许多因素的影响，包括新陈代谢和心理差异。
“We know from a lot of really good research that obesity is not as much in an individual’s control as we think it is. People talk about willpower — that’s a very small part of the equation,” she said.
“我们从很多非常好的研究中得知，肥胖并不像我们认为的那样完全由个人控制。人们谈论的意志力——那只是等式中很小的一部分，”她说。
“There are much bigger contributors to our weight and a lot of it is genetic. That’s not to say it’s immutable.”
“影响我们体重的因素很多，其中很多都是遗传的。但这并不是说它是不可改变的。”
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