Banana Protein May Be Virus Killer

Bananas are often called the perfect food.

香蕉常被称为完美的食物。

They are nutritious, a good source of all kinds of vitamins and minerals. They can help fight depression and ward off muscle cramps. They can lower blood pressure and protect against heart attacks.

它们营养丰富，富含各种维生素和矿物质。它们可以帮助对抗抑郁和防止肌肉痉挛。它们可以降低血压，防止心脏病发作。

To most people, bananas taste great. They add natural sweetness to some baked goods and health drinks. And bananas come in their own protective, biodegradable packaging.

对大多数人来说，香蕉味道很好。它们为一些烘焙食品和健康饮料添加了天然的甜味。香蕉也有自己的保护性生物降解包装。

So, there are many reasons to eat bananas.

所以，吃香蕉有很多原因。

And now there is another.

现在又有了另一个。

Bananas, it turns out, have a secret weapon. And this secret weapon could protect against viruses.

事实证明，香蕉有一种秘密武器。这种秘密武器可以抵御病毒。

Scientists are now taking a protein found in bananas and turning it into a drug that may someday fight viral infections.

科学家们现在正在提取香蕉中的一种蛋白质，并将其转化为一种药物，也许有一天可以对抗病毒感染。

The secret weapon is called banana lectin, or BanLec. BanLec is a protein that attaches to sugar molecules and keeps viruses out of cells. A virus cannot infect what it cannot enter.

秘密武器被称为香蕉凝集素，或班莱克。班莱克是一种附着在糖分子上的蛋白质，它能阻止病毒进入细胞。病毒不能感染它不能进入的东西。

The team of researchers published their study in the journalCell. In their article, the researchers say it could be one of the first antiviral agents to treat a wide-range of viruses. These viruses include HIV, hepatitis and even the common flu virus.

研究小组在《细胞》杂志上发表了他们的研究成果。在他们的文章中，研究人员说，它可能是第一批治疗各种病毒的抗病毒药物之一。这些病毒包括艾滋病毒、肝炎甚至普通流感病毒。

Senior co-author of the study is David Markovitz at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. He warns that you can't get the benefits of BanLec simply by eating a bunch of bananas.

这项研究的资深合著者是安阿伯密歇根大学的大卫·马尔科维茨。他警告说，你不能仅仅通过吃一束香蕉就得到班莱克的好处。

Stomach acids, he explains, will chew up the protein before it has a chance to fight infections in the body. BanLec is a modified, or changed, protein.

他解释说，胃酸会在蛋白质有机会抵抗体内感染之前将其咀嚼掉。班莱克是一种经过修饰或改变的蛋白质。

Markovitz explains.

马尔科维茨解释说。

"Remember, when you are eating the banana, then the protein which, by the way, is not our modified protein, it is an actual protein; it is probably going to be chewed up by the stomach acid. So, we very much doubt that eating bananas will help you."

“记住，当你吃香蕉的时候，那么蛋白质，顺便说一下，它不是我们的改性蛋白质，它是一种真正的蛋白质；它可能会被胃酸咀嚼掉。所以，我们非常怀疑吃香蕉对你有帮助。”

Discovery by accident

意外发现

Markovitz says researchers investigated the banana protein for a very special use. Women could use a type of the protein before sex to protect them against HIV infection. But the researchers found that the protein fought off a number of viruses. Viruses simply die if they can't infect cells.
马尔科维茨说，研究人员对香蕉蛋白进行了特殊用途的研究。女性可以在做爱前使用某种蛋白质来保护自己免受艾滋病毒感染。但研究人员发现，这种蛋白质可以抵御多种病毒。如果病毒不能感染细胞，它们就会死亡。

At this point, Markovitz says, there are no plans to test the BanLec protein on humans. He says he and the other researchers are ambitious, meaning they want to be successful with this drug.

马尔科维茨说，目前还没有计划在人类身上测试班莱克蛋白。他说，他和其他研究人员雄心勃勃，这意味着他们想成功地使用这种药物。

But, Markovitz adds, they also need to be careful, or be cautious, to avoid doing any harm. It's early days, he says.

但是，马尔科维茨补充说，他们也需要小心，或者谨慎，以避免造成任何伤害。他说，现在还很早。

"We're trying to help people with their health, not harm them. And so it's good to be cautious about where we are going. You know, we're also very ambitious to make things work well, but we're not there. You know, we're early on still."

“我们正在努力帮助人们保持健康，而不是伤害他们。所以对我们要去的地方保持谨慎是件好事。你知道，我们也很有雄心壮志，要把事情做好，但我们不在那里。你知道，我们现在还很早。”

It may be early on, but these researchers may want to hurry. The world's banana supply in currently in serious trouble.

这可能还很早，但这些研究人员可能想快点。世界香蕉供应目前处于严重困境。

A deadly fungus, now called Tropical Race 4, has been killing banana crops around the world. TR4 started in Malaysia in the 1990s and in 2013 moved across Southeast Asia and into Australia. Now the fungus has moved into Africa and is killing banana crops in Mozambique.

一种致命的真菌，现在被称为热带4号种族，已经在世界各地杀死香蕉作物。TR4始于1990年代的马来西亚，2013年横跨东南亚进入澳大利亚。现在这种真菌已经进入非洲，正在莫桑比克杀死香蕉作物。

Today, bananas are grown in more than 100 countries.

今天，香蕉在100多个国家种植。

As of 2013, many websites rank India as the world's top producer of bananas.

截至2013年，许多网站将印度列为世界顶级香蕉生产国。

Bananas are ranked fourth among the world's food crops in monetary value.

香蕉在世界粮食作物中的货币价值排名第四。

Mozambique officials say bananas bring in more than $70 million per year.

We Americans eat more bananas than apples and oranges combined.

莫桑比克官员说，香蕉每年带来7000多万美元。              

我们美国人吃香蕉比苹果和桔子加起来还要多。

I'm Anna Matteo.