[全文听写]：
Hints：本文三个连字符，两处破折号。
U.S.
the Journal of Clinical Investigation
hypothalamus
More than a third of adults in the U.S. are obese. And many of those already overweight continue to put on even more pounds. Now researchers have a clue why. Two new studies in the Journal of Clinical Investigation suggest how obesity and high-fat diets might actually alter the way the brain works, changing in particular the hypothalamus. This almond-sized area of the brain helps regulate hunger and thirst, as well as sleep and body temperature. So if it's out of whack, people can feel hungry even when they've consumed plenty. One study found that in the brains of both obese humans and obese rats, neurons around the hypothalamus were damaged by inflammation. High-fat diets have been known to promote inflammation throughout the body, but that usually takes weeks or months to appear. Changes in the brain, however, can happen fast — even within 24 hours. The second study found that mice on a fatty diet were slow to replace old neurons in the hypothalamus, which could also hamper its function. So you might consider starting 2012 by watching the ball drop — and dropping the cheese ball.
超过三分之一的美国人比较肥胖。他们大部分已经超重的仍然会持续增加体重。现在许多研究者已经发现其中的原因了。 《临床研究》杂志上两个最新的研究指出肥胖和高脂饮食也许会确实改变大脑工作的方式，特别是作用于下丘脑部位。大脑这块杏仁状区域调控我们的饥渴以及睡眠和体温。因此如果这个部位不正常，即使已经很饱的状态下人们仍然会感觉饥饿。 其中一项研究发现，在肥胖者和肥胖的大鼠脑中，下丘脑周围的神经元都被炎症破坏了。高脂饮食已被证明会促进身体内炎症反应的发生，通常炎症反应只会持续几周或几个月。而脑部的改变则能够突然的出现——甚至24小时内。 另一个研究则发现，喂食高脂饮食的小鼠，其下丘脑的老化神经元更替变慢，这同样会阻碍下丘脑行使正常功能。 因此，你也许应该考虑一下在2012年开始远离狂欢——并且减少奶酪之类的高热量食物。 —Katherine Harmon -------------------------by hyjtb