胖要胖的恰到好处（双语有声）

Everyone knows that obesity is bad for your health. Packing on the pounds, we’re told, leads to all sorts of medical problems: high cholesterol, insulin resistance, greater risk of diabetes and heart disease. But researchers at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center see things a little differently. In a paper in the journal Trends in Endocrinology and Metabolism [see KaP33], they argue that being fat can actually protect us from these disorders.

众所周知，肥胖有害健康。人们常说，肥胖会引发各种各样的内科疾病：胆固醇过高，胰岛素抵 抗，还很可能患糖尿病和心脏病。不过，德州大学西南医疗中心的科学家们提出了不同意见。他们在《内分泌学与新陈代谢新动向》杂志中提出：其实，肥胖可以使 人们免遭上述疾病困扰。

The scientists [Robert Unger and Philipp Scherer] don’t deny that we eat too much, especially high-calorie foods chock full of carbs and fats. In the past, that sort of overindulgence, and over-nutrition, used to be reserved for royalty. But now, the scientists note, “bad calories are so cheap that anyone can afford to get overweight.” But obesity, they say, is the body’s way of storing fats where they belong: in fat tissue. That metabolic sequestration actually protects other organs from the harmful effects of fat.

这些科学家并未 否认人们吃的太多，尤其是吃了太多高热量的食品。那些“奢侈品”以前只供王室享用；而现在，这些东西随处可见，人人买得起，肥胖在所难免。人体将脂肪储藏 在脂肪组织中，肥胖就这么来了。不过，这恰好保护了人体其他器官。

The trouble comes when people who are larger-than-life continue to consume excess calories. That’s when the fat winds up where fat’s not supposed to go…triggering insulin resistance and its complications. So you might be able to get away with the supersized fries. But only if you haven’t already supersized yourself.

既然如此，那病又是从何而来呢？脂肪组织也有“满仓”的时候。如果那个时候还肆无忌惮地吃下去的话——胰岛素抵抗还有并 发症可就要找上门了。为了健康，也就只能眼睁睁地看着超大汉堡咽咽口水了；不过嘛，如果你还没“超”肥，那就另当别论啦~