Audio news: Stress shrinks the brain

>Stress shrinks the brain
中年压力会使大脑萎缩
Stress in middle age can make your brain shrink and your memory worse, scientists have discovered. In a Harvard Medical School study, the brain-reducing effects of stress were found to be triggered by cortisol. High levels of the stress hormone may be an early warning sign a person may end up with dementia, the research suggests. Stress also made people's thinking skills worse, the study found. "So it's important for people to find ways to reduce stress, such as getting enough sleep, engaging in moderate exercise, incorporating relaxation techniques into their daily lives, or asking their doctor about their cortisol levels and taking a cortisol-reducing medication if needed," Dr Justin Echouffo-Tcheugui said.
科学家发现，中年压力会让人的大脑萎缩且记忆力变差。压力令大脑萎缩这一影响被发现是由皮质醇引发的。研究表明，这种压力荷尔蒙的水平高可能是一个早期预警信号，表明某人可能最终会患上痴呆症。哈佛大学医学院的这项研究发现，压力还造成人们的思维技能变差。贾斯廷•埃舒福-楚吉博士表示："因此找到减轻压力的方法对人们来说很重要，比如获得充分睡眠，适度锻炼，把放松技巧融入日常生活，或向医生询问自己的皮质醇水平，如有必要，服用降低皮质醇水平的药物。"

>Shyness costs garden big
'恐外'售票员'赠'数万门票
An attendant at a popular garden in the heart of Tokyo has cost the facility tens of millions of yen because he was "too frightened" to ask foreign visitors to pay the admission fee. The attendant, who is in his early 70s, admitted failing to collect the fees for the Shinjuku Gyoen national garden after an investigation was launched following a tip from another employee. The unnamed man, who has since retired, reportedly said he had stopped collecting admission fees from foreigners of 200 yen for adults and 50 yen for children in April 2014, and continued to allow foreign visitors free of charge for two and a half years after. As a result an estimated 160,000 people entered the garden without paying. The environment ministry, which manages the garden, said this week it had lost at least 25 million yen as a result. Local reports said the man told ministry investigators being yelled at by a non-Japanese visitor years ago made him scared of overseas guests.
东京市中心一处热门公园的一名售票员因"太害怕"开口向外国游客收取门票费，导致公园损失数千万日元。新宿御苑国家公园的另一名员工告发此事后，有关部门展开调查，最后这位70岁出头的售票员承认自己没有收取门票钱。这位未具名的售票员事发后就退休了。据报道，他2014年4月就开始停止向外国成人和小孩收取门票费，该公园的成人票价是200日元(约合人民币12元)，儿童票价是50日元，自那以后约有两年半时间，他一直让外国游客免费进入。由此导致的结果是，估计有16万游客在此期间免费入园。管理该公园的日本环境省本周表示，由此造成的损失至少有2500万日元。当地报道称，这名售票员告诉环境省调查员说，多年前曾有一名外国游客冲他大吼大叫，这令他害怕外国游客。

>Standing up burns calories
站立办公能每年减重7斤
Office workers could lose almost 3 kg a year simply by standing at their desks, new research suggests. An international study of more than 1,000 men and women found standing instead of sitting for six hours a day burned an extra 54 calories daily - resulting in significant weight loss. The research, published in the "European Journal of Preventive Cardiology", found standing burned almost twice as many calories in men compared with women,due to a higher average muscle mass.
最新研究显示，办公室员工只要站立办公，每年就能减重近3公斤)。这项针对一千多名男性与女性的国际调查发现，与坐着办公相比，每天站立办公六小时可以多燃烧54卡路里，能有效减重。这份发表在《欧洲预防心脏病学期刊》上的研究报告发现，由于肌肉更发达，男性站立办公燃烧的卡路里数量是女性的两倍。

>Food alters cancer spread
食物影响癌症生长转移
There is mounting evidence the food on your plate can alter cancer's growth and spread, Cambridge scientists say. Animal research, published in the journal Nature, showed breast tumors struggled without the dietary nutrient asparagine. This ingredient is found in foodies' favorite asparagus, as well as poultry, seafood and many other foods. In the future, scientists hope to take advantage of cancer's "culinary addictions" to improve treatment.
剑桥的科学家称，有越来越多的证据显示，人们的盘中餐可以影响癌症的生长和转移。发表在《自然》杂志上的动物实验显示，如果乳腺肿瘤没有天冬酰胺这一营养成分就很难生长。人们发现，美食家最为青睐的芦笋，禽类、海鲜以及许多其它食品中都含有天冬酰胺。科学家希望未来能够利用癌症的"食物偏好"来改善治疗。

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