双胞胎姐妹患异食癖：嚼蜡烛、啃旧书！

　　Most people bite their nails when they're nervous or get cravings for chocolate or crisps.

　　大多数人在紧张的时候有啃指甲的癖好，有些人会渴望吃巧克力或薯片。

　　But two sisters from Bradford have taken it to a whole new level - regularly munching¹ on candles and second-hand² books.

　　但是有一对来自英国布拉德福德市的双胞胎姐妹是上面饮食癖的进阶版：嚼蜡烛、啃旧书！

　　Twins Adele and Anita, both 50, suffer from Pica- an eating disorder³ characterised by the desire to eat items with little or no nutritional⁴ value, such as stones, sand, paint and dirt.

　　双胞胎姐妹阿黛尔和 安尼塔今年都50岁了，两人都患有异食癖：她们对于那些几乎没有营养价值的东西，如石头、沙子、油漆、尘土等，有着特殊的食欲。

　　For Adele, the problem began when she was a child. She now eats around two inches of wax every day, much like many people tuck into a chocolate bar.

　　对于阿黛尔来说，还在童年的时候就出现了这一状况。她现在每天吃两英寸长的蜡烛，打个比方来说就像许多人贪吃两长条巧克力一样。

　　'When I was eight or nine I started sniffing⁵ fire lighters,' she told ITV's This Morning. 'I then started nibbling⁶ on candles and have done ever since.'

　　“我大概八九岁的时候，就开始嗅蜡烛的香味。”她告诉英国独立电视台《今日晨讯》节目记者，“从那时起，我就开始嚼蜡烛、再也停不下来。”

　　She says candles are an emotional crutch⁷ - and the 300 she has eaten in her lifetime have apparently⁸ never caused her any health problems.

　　她说蜡烛对她来说是一种情感支撑，并且她一生中所吃过的300根蜡烛从没对她的健康产生任何危害。

　　'Carrying a candle with me calms my nerves. A whole candle will last me two weeks - I only take a little bit [about at an inch or two] out at a time so people don't see it.'

　　“随身带一根蜡烛可以帮我缓解紧张情绪，一整根蜡烛能让我两个星期保持平静。每次我只吃一点点（大约1~2英寸），这样人们就不会发现。”

　　For her sister Anita, Pica struck later in life - when she was pregnant 24 years ago.

　　而她的妹妹安尼塔在24年前怀孕的时候，也患上了异食癖。

　　'I began having cravings for things that smelled like old bus tickets,' she said.

　　“那个时候我开始对有着旧车票味道的东西产生食欲，”她说道。

　　'When I found the smell again, it was in an old book - and I haven't been able to stop since.

　　“当让再次发现自己对这种味道食欲的是一本旧书，自从那时候起就再也停不下来。”

　　'The older the book, the better it tastes. I just love really old books. It's like eating a chocolate bar.'

　　“书越旧，啃起来味道约好。我就是很喜欢吃旧书的味道，对我来说就像巧克力一样美味。”

　　She now scours⁹ charity shops looking for ripe old tomes - and is unbothered by the germs and dust they may be harbouring.

　　她现在经常去慈善商店搜罗旧书，并且可以无视旧书中的虫子和尘土。

　　Once procured¹⁰, the book is shredded¹¹ to a tagliatelle-sized strand¹² before being consumed.

　　拿到旧书后，安尼塔就把它们撕成条状然后吃掉。

　　'Sniffing them works up an aroma¹³ - and I'm happy with what I do.'

　　“啃旧书真的很香，这让我很开心。”

　　Commenting on the twins' eating condition, eating disorders¹⁴ psychologist Marcia Karp, told the programme:

　　节目中，异食癖心理专家玛西亚·卡普对于这对双胞胎姐妹俩的异食癖评价道：

　　'There are many reasons why people take non-food stuffs into their body.

　　“人们吃非食物类东西是由多种原因造成的。”

　　'Pregnant women often have bizarre cravings and Pica can be sometimes be due to a mineral deficit¹⁵.'

　　“孕妇经常会饮食紊乱或患上异食癖，但有时候是因为缺乏矿物质造成的。”

　　She added: 'I have a friend who eats clay. She says: "It calms me, it soothes¹⁶ me - it's almost like mother's milk".'

　　她补充道：“我有个朋友吃粘土，她说那就想母乳一样可以让她平静和受到安抚。”