3月18日午间英语新闻：更年期一定会增加体重么？专家给出了一些建议

The truth about menopause and weight gain
更年期一定会增加体重么？专家给出了一些建议

Menopause and weight gain seem to go hand in hand.
更年期和体重增加似乎是密切相关的。

“I went to sleep and I woke up the next day, and I promise you, I’ve gained 20 pounds.” That’’s the complaint Dr. Monica Christmas hears all the time as director of the menopause program at University of Chicago Medicine, where she is also an associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology.
“我睡了一觉，第二天醒来，我向你保证，我胖了20磅。”芝加哥大学医学院更年期项目主任莫妮卡·克里斯莫斯博士经常听到的这样的抱怨，她同时也是该校的妇产科学副教授。

Women do gain about 1½ pounds per year during their 40s and 50s. And a lot of that extra weight seems to land in the midsection, setting the stage for metabolic problems including high blood pressure, high blood sugar and high cholesterol, all of which increase the risk of cardiovascular disease.
女性在四五十岁时，体重每年确实会增加1.5磅（约等于1.3斤）。而且，很多多余的体重似乎都增加在了腹部，导致代谢问题，包括高血压、高血糖和高胆固醇，所有这些都会增加患心血管疾病的风险。

But is menopause really to blame for women’s midlife weight gain? As with so many health issues, it’s complicated. 
但是更年期真的是女性中年发胖的罪魁祸首吗?和许多健康问题一样，这也是一个复杂的问题。

Christmas said it’s impossible to talk about weight gain around menopause without talking about the other elephant in the room: aging. “Menopause is inextricably tied to the aging process,” she said.
克里斯莫斯表示，在谈论更年期体重增加时，不可能不谈到另一个问题:衰老。“更年期与衰老过程密不可分，”她说。

“Aging in general is associated with weight gain, more so because of lifestyle changes: being more sedentary, not as active as we once were,” Christmas said.
“一般来说，衰老与体重增加有关，尤其是生活方式的改变: 更喜欢久坐，不像以前那么活跃，”克里斯莫斯说。

She said it usually doesn’t happen all at once. Instead, changing life circumstances, such as more job and parenting responsibilities, conspire to rob us of time for leisure pursuits that used to keep us active. “We started slowly realizing … ‘I didn’t make time for those types of things,’” she said.
她说这通常不会一下子发生。相反，不断变化的生活环境，比如更多的工作和养育子女的责任，共同剥夺了我们进行休闲活动的时间，而这些活动曾经让我们保持活跃。“我们开始慢慢意识到……‘我没有时间做这些事情，’”她说。

And there’s at least one more factor that contributes to weight gain as we age. “The reality of it is that our metabolism slows as we get older,” she said. One oft-cited study found that it remains fairly stable between the ages of 20 and 60 but then declines.
随着年龄的增长，至少还有一个因素会导致体重增加。“现实情况是，我们的新陈代谢会随着年龄的增长而减慢，”她说。一项经常被引用的研究发现，在20岁到60岁之间，它保持相当稳定，但随后会下降。

But it is far from a lost cause, Christmas said. “The weight gain doesn’t happen with everybody; people that are really active, that are meticulous about exercise, that are intentional about what they fuel their bodies with, it’s probably a minimal change.”
但她说，新陈代谢还远远没有消失。“并不是每个人都会增重;那些非常活跃、注重锻炼、有意识地为身体补充能量的人，体重增加的变化可能微乎其微。”

Christmas believes in treating your diet like you treat your bank account: Be meticulous about what you choose to put into it and how you spend your calories.  She also advises against going too heavy on the meat. 
克里斯莫斯的理念是像对待你的银行账户一样对待你的饮食: 在选择吃进去什么以及如何消耗卡路里方面要一丝不苟。克里斯莫斯还建议不要吃太多的肉。

Exercise is key to maintaining a healthy weight and combating the muscle loss that comes with aging and can put older adults at higher risk of disability.
运动是保持健康体重和防止肌肉流失的关键，而肌肉流失是随着年龄增长而出现的，会使老年人面临更高的残疾风险。

“The adage ‘use it or lose it’ could not be truer during the menopause transition,” Christmas said.
“在更年期过渡时期，‘用进废退’这句谚语再正确不过了，”克里斯莫斯说。

Limit alcohol or avoid it altogether.  “Outside of the extra calories, alcohol can disrupt sleep, exacerbate or trigger depression and often decrease our inhibition,” Christmas said. “Most people tend to eat more — and it’s usually not more veggies — when they drink alcohol.”
限制饮酒或完全不饮酒。 “除了额外的卡路里，酒精还会扰乱睡眠，加剧或引发抑郁，并经常降低我们的抑制力，”克里斯莫斯说。“大多数人在喝酒时往往会吃得更多——而通常不是吃更多的蔬菜。”

 “Research has shown that not getting enough sleep is associated with weight gain,” Christmas said. “People that don’t get enough sleep often snack more and indulge in all the high-calorie foods we should avoid.” 
“研究表明睡眠不足与体重增加有关，”克里斯莫斯说。“睡眠不足的人通常会吃更多的零食，并沉迷于所有我们应该避免的高热量食物。”

Menopause is a natural phase of life that may be associated with bothersome symptoms including weight gain — but don’t let that extinguish your joy.
更年期是人生的一个自然阶段，可能会出现一些令人烦恼的症状，包括体重增加，但不要因此而失去快乐。

 “It’s important to be intentional about engaging in regular exercise and adhering to a healthy diet; however, it is equally as important to create space for self-care,” Christmas said. “For some — not all — the menopause transition can be frightening. Making time to do things that bring us joy and peace are important to overall well-being.” 
 “有意识地进行定期锻炼和坚持健康饮食非常重要; 然而，为自我保健创造空间也同样重要，” 克里斯莫斯说。“对一些人(不是所有人)来说，更年期的过渡可能是令人恐惧的。抽出时间做一些能给我们带来快乐和平静的事情对整体健康很重要。” 

重要词汇：
obstetrics and gynecology
产科和妇科：医学领域中专注于妇女生殖系统和妊娠、分娩、产后护理等方面的学科。

conspire
英/ kənˈspaɪə(r) / 美/ kənˈspaɪər /
v.密谋，共谋；共同导致

metabolism
英/ məˈtæbəlɪzəm / 美/ məˈtæbəlɪzəm /
n.新陈代谢