英语听力文摘 English Digest 631 尽情享受食物可以增加营养的吸收
时间：2013-08-09 00:29:03
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Enjoying Your Food Increases The Nourishment1 Your Body Receives
Did last night’s dinner make you drool with anticipation2? Did lunch have you licking your chops? According to research by teams from Thailand and Sweden, enjoying your food increases the nourishment your body receives from it.
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The Experiment
Imagine a bowl of Thai vegetables and rice in coconut3 milk, seasoned with hot chili4 paste. Sound scrumptious? Or too spicy5 for your palate? The researchers served this dish to Thai women accustomed to such fare, then measured how much iron they absorbed.
Next, the researchers served the same meal to Swedish women accustomed to less spice. Guess what happened? The Swedish women absorbed significantly less iron than their Thai counterparts.
Going further, the researchers served the Thai women the same ingredients, processed into an unappetizing, goopy puree. This time, the Thai women absorbed 70% less iron than they had before.
How Can This Be?
The researchers believe the answer’s in the brain. Before you eat a bite, there’s a brain phase of digestive secretion6. Seeing, smelling, or just anticipating a good meal prompts the brain to send messages to glands7 along the digestive tract8. “Hey you guys!
Yummy morsels9 coming!” These happy thoughts prompt secretion of saliva10, gastric11 juices and enzymes12 for digestion13. In particular, acidic gastric juices are key to iron absorption. Without the acid, the body absorbs little iron.
When you’re relaxed and enjoying your food, your brain primes your gut14 to absorb the most nutrients15. So there’s scientific evidence for something we’ve suspected all along-an appealing, leisurely16 meal is a lot more nutritious17 than unappetizing grub!
