Sitting Too Much Ages You By 8 Years 久坐不起讓你老8歲

新聞辭典

• sedentary：形容詞，久坐的，坐慣的。例句：A sedentary person, no matter how busy he is, should take time out for exercise.（一個坐久的人，無論他有多忙，都應該抽出時間運動。）
• premature：形容詞，早熟的，過早的。例句：Babies born before completion of week 37 are premature.（嬰兒在滿37週以前出生算是早產。）
• fray：動詞，使…磨損，使…緊張。例句：His shirt was frayed at the neck.（他的襯衫領口磨損。）

Women who spend too much time sitting down speed up the aging process. Sitting for more than ten hours a day gives women a ’biological age’ up to eight years older than it should be, according to a new study. 花太多時間久坐的婦女會加速老化過程。根據一項新研究，一天久坐超過10小時，將使女性的「生物年齡」較其應有的程度還老8歲之多。

The researchers, who tracked the movements of 1,481 women over the age of 64, found a strong link between a sedentary lifestyle and the premature aging of cells in the body. Women who were more sedentary had shorter and more frayed telomeres, which scientists use to calculate ’biological age’.研究人員追蹤1481名64歲以上婦女的活動，發現久坐生活型態與體內細胞提早老化有強烈關聯。坐更久的婦女擁有較短、更磨損的端粒，科學家使用端粒來計算「生物年齡」。

Telomeres naturally shorten with age, but health and lifestyle factors － such as smoking and obesity － can accelerate the process. Shortened telomeres are linked with heart disease, diabetes and cancer. However, just half an hour of moderate exercise might undo the damage. 端粒會隨著年齡增長自然縮短，但健康及生活型態因素──例如吸菸和肥胖──會加速這個過程。縮短的端粒與心臟病、糖尿病和癌症有關。不過，只要半小時的溫和運動，即可抵消這個損害。

"We found that women who sat longer did not have shorter telomere length if they exercised for at least 30 minutes a day," said lead author Aladdin Shadyab.研究主筆阿拉汀．莎迪耶指出：「我們發現，坐得較久的婦女未必端粒長度會較短，但前提是一天運動至少30分鐘。」

Women who have regular sex live longer －女性定期做愛，壽命較長

New Words:

1. uncover：動詞，揭露，揭示。例句：The investigation uncovered evidence of a large-scale illegal trade in wild birds.（這項調查揭露一起大規模非法野生鳥類貿易的事證。）

2. quiz：動詞，考問，盤問。例句：She spent an hour being quizzed by journalists.（她花了一個小時接受記者的考問。）

3. oxytocin：名詞，催產素：例句：Oxytocin is known as the "love hormone" due to its beneficial role in social bonding.（催產素被稱為「愛的荷爾蒙」，因為它扮演有助於社會連結的角色。）

Women who have regular sex live longer, a study suggests. Scientists have uncovered the first biological evidence that frequent bedroom activity boosts lifespan by protecting our DNA. 一項研究指出，定期做愛的女性壽命較長。科學家揭露首個生物學證據，頻繁的閨房之樂能保護我們的去氧核醣核酸（DNA），得以延年益壽。

Researchers quizzed 129 women aged between 20 and 50 about their love lives. They then carried out blood tests and measured the length of participants’ telomeres. The study focused on telomeres – protective caps on the ends of DNA – that predict a person’s biological age. 研究人員考問129名婦女的愛情生活，其年齡介於20至50歲間。她們稍後進行血液測試，並量測受試者的端粒長度。這項研究聚焦於端粒—DNA末端的保護帽—可預測一個人的生物年齡。

Experts found women who had regular sex had significantly longer telomeres – boosting their overall life expectancy. Shorter telomeres have been associated with aging, disease, and a higher risk of death. 專家發現，定期做愛的女性，明顯擁有更長的端粒—延長她們的整體壽命。較短的端粒與老化、疾病和更高的死亡風險有關。

How sex could have such an effect is unclear. One possibility is that it reduces stress. It may also boost the immune system. Another theory is that it triggers the release of oxytocin – the so-called cuddle hormone – which has been linked to better health.

性愛為何有此效果至今未明。一種可能性是，性愛可能降低壓力。它可能也促進免疫系統。另一項理論是，性愛觸發催產素—所謂的擁抱荷爾蒙－與更佳的健康有關。