Chewing your food for longer may help you lose weight, scientists have suggested。

　　科学家们表示，进食时更长时间的咀嚼食物或许能帮助你减轻体重。

　　Munching on each mouthful for longer significantly reduces the amount of calories consumed during a meal, a study found。

　　根据一份研究报告的显示，每一口食物咀嚼的时间更长的话，这将降低人体所吸收的卡路里热量。

　　Volunteers who chewed each mouthful 40 times ate 12 per cent less food than those who chewed just 15 times。

　　参加测试人中的一组每口食物咀嚼40次，另一组则只咀嚼15次，结果发现40次的这组要比15次的这组少吃掉百分之十二的食物。

　　It is thought chewing for longer prevents over-eating by giving the brain more time to receive signals from the stomach that it is full。

　　科学家们认为，更长时间的咀嚼食物能有效的防止过量进食，因为大脑有了更多的时间来从胃部接收到饱足感的“信号”。

　　It also appears to lower levels of ghrelin, the ‘hunger hormone’, circulating in the digestive system。

　　同时人体中一种在消化系统循环中被称为“饥饿激素”的物质的水平也有明显的下降。

　　Researchers at Harbin Medical University in China recruited 16 slim men and 14 obese men in their late teens or twenties and carried out two experiments。

　　中国哈尔滨医科大学的研究人员们召集了16名身材苗条和14名肥胖的男性进行了这两项试验，他们的年龄介于十几岁到二十几岁之间。

　　In the first, they wanted to see if the obese men chewed their food differently to their lean rivals。

　　一开始，研究人员们观察了肥胖男子和精瘦男子在食物咀嚼方面的不同之处。

　　Each volunteer was given a pork pie and filmed by a secret camera to test how many times they chewed before swallowing。

　　有一个秘密的摄像机拍摄下了每一位受测者在吃下一个猪肉饼时的咀嚼和下咽的过程。

　　The results found that, although the obese men chewed at the same speed as the slim ones, they swallowed their food much more quickly。

　　结果发现，尽管肥胖男子和精瘦男子咀嚼的速度基本相同，不过他们吞咽食物则更加的迅速。

　　In the second experiment, both groups were given another portion of pork pie to chew 15 times then swallow, before repeating the exercise but chewing 40 times instead。

　　在第二个实验中，两组人要求在吞下猪肉饼之前咀嚼15次，之后在要求他们咀嚼40次。

　　Researchers found that when volunteers chewed for longer they consumed 11.9 per cent fewer calories, regardless of whether they were slender or obese。

　　研究人员发现，无论是精瘦组还是肥胖组，当他们咀嚼食物的时间更长了之后，他们所吸收的卡路里热量也相应的降低了11.9%。

　　Blood tests taken 90 minutes after eating showed volunteers also had much lower levels of ghrelin when they had chewed each portion 40 times rather 15.

　　在进食90分钟后的血液测试显示，咀嚼40次时要比15次时体内“饥饿激素”的水平低得多。

　　In a report on their findings, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, the researchers said eating more slowly could be a simple and effective way of tackling weight problems。

　　这份研究报告被刊登在了美国的某医学期刊之上，研究者们表示细嚼慢咽的确是一个简单而又有效的控制体重的方法。

　　They said: ‘Research indicates eating quickly, gorging and binge eating have a substantial effect on being overweight。

　　他们说：“狼吞虎咽的结果有可能就是体重超标。”

　　A survey of 1,000 people last year by the sandwich chain Subway showed the average person in Britain chews their food just six times before swallowing it。

　　去年一份在一家快餐连锁店所作的调查访问显示，英国人只嚼六次便会将食物吞咽下去。

　　Young, busy professionals in the 25-34 age group were the worst culprits。

　　这种情况在年轻而又繁忙的25岁到34岁的上班族群中尤为明显。

　　The same survey found 15 per cent of people regularly ate a meal while walking and only half routinely sit down to eat at a table。

　　这份调查还显示，有百分之十五的人会边走边吃，只有一半的人会坐下来进食。

　　Catherine Collins, chief dietician at St George’s Hospital, London, said although eating more slowly may have some effect on gut hormone levels, the benefits are more likely psychological。

　　伦敦圣乔治医院的首席营养师Catherine Collins细嚼慢咽不仅会对肠胃激素产生影响，在心理方面也是好处多多。

　　‘When you gulp down your food, you don’t realise you’re eating so much。

　　“当你狼吞虎咽时，你几乎不知道吃掉了多少食物。”

　　‘But chewing for longer makes you more likely to notice the taste, smell and texture, which makes you more aware of what you’re eating and how much。

　　“然而当你每一口都咀嚼得更慢更仔细时，你更能体会到食物的口味，气味与质地，这会让你清楚的意识到自己所吃的食物的量。”

　　‘As a result, you’re less likely to feel hungry again ten minutes later.’

　　“像这样你才不太会在用餐玩的十分钟之后又感觉到了饥饿。”