大蒜可能是控制血糖与胆固醇的秘密武器 Garlic could be a secret weapon to keep down your glucose and cholesterol

蒜味难闻，但是大蒜对健康却很有好处。新研究表明，定期吃点大蒜有助于控制血糖和胆固醇。

Whether it's freshly diced, sprinkled, or infused in oil, regularly adding some garlic to your diet has been found to keep both blood sugar and cholesterol in check.
无论是新鲜切丁、撒在食物上，还是浸泡在油中，定期在饮食中加入一些大蒜被发现有助于控制血糖和胆固醇。

A meta-analysis of 22 previous studies that included 29 randomized, controlled trials conducted by researchers from Southeast University and Xizang Minzu University in China confirms the consumption of garlic is linked with lower levels of glucose and some types of fat molecule.
中国东南大学和西藏民族大学的研究人员对22项包含29个随机对照试验的研究进行的荟萃分析证实，食用大蒜与降低血糖和某些类型脂肪分子的水平有关。

Glucose and lipids are key nutrients and providing energy for the body. Modern diets can often lead to too much of a good thing, increasing the risk of health problems. A number of other lifestyle choices, from alcohol consumption to exercise routines, can also have an impact on the body's sugar and fat levels.
葡萄糖和脂质是人体的关键营养物质，可以为身体提供能量。现代饮食往往会导致过量摄入这些物质，增加健康问题的风险。除了饮食以外的其他许多生活方式的选择，如饮酒和锻炼习惯，也会影响体内的糖和脂肪水平。

"In healthy individuals, glucose and lipid metabolism is precisely regulated," write the researchers in their published paper.
研究人员在他们的论文中写道：“在健康个体中，葡萄糖和脂质代谢是被精确调节的。”

"Disorders of glucose and lipid metabolism can lead to a number of chronic diseases, including atherosclerosis, diabetes and fatty liver disease."
“葡萄糖和脂质代谢紊乱可能导致多种慢性疾病，包括动脉粥样硬化、糖尿病和脂肪肝。”

Garlic, meanwhile, has long been associated with good health, and has been previously linked to lipid regulation as well as glucose levels in isolated studies.
大蒜长期以来一直与健康联系在一起，之前的独立研究已发现食用大蒜与脂质调节和血糖水平相关。

Taking the research as a whole, the team confirmed the impacts remained positive. Those who included garlic in their diet were found to have lower blood glucose levels, indicators of better long-term glucose control, more so-called 'good' cholesterol in the form of high density lipoproteins (HDLs), less so-called 'bad' cholesterol or low density lipoproteins (LDLs), and lower cholesterol overall.
综合研究结果，团队证实了这些影响依然是正面的。那些饮食中包含大蒜的人被发现血糖水平较低，长期血糖控制指标更好，所谓的“好”胆固醇（高密度脂蛋白）较多，所谓的“坏”胆固醇（低密度脂蛋白）较少，整体胆固醇水平也较低。

"The results showed that garlic has a beneficial effect on blood glucose and blood lipid in humans, and their association was statistically significant," write the researchers.
研究人员写道：“结果表明，大蒜对人体血糖和血脂能产生有益的影响，并且这种关联是具有统计学意义的。”

As for why this association exists, it's thought that the different active ingredients in garlic are helping in a variety of ways, including by reducing oxidative stress – a type of wear and tear on cells that can lead to issues such as cardiovascular disease.
至于这种关联存在的原因，研究人员认为，大蒜中的不同活性成分通过多种方式起作用，包括减少氧化应激——这是一种细胞磨损，可能导致心血管疾病等问题。

Garlic also includes an antioxidant compound called alliin, which has previously been linked to managing blood glucose, blood lipids, and the gut microbiome. It's likely that a combination of effects are causing the results shown here.
大蒜还含有一种名为蒜氨酸的抗氧化化合物，之前已被证明与血糖、血脂和肠道微生物群的控制有关。很可能是多重因素的共同作用导致了研究显示的结果。

英文来源：Science Alert

编译：丹妮

审校：董静、马芮