Research conducted in a Chinese population has found an intriguing link between the consumption of chili peppers and a heightened risk of cognitive decline. Many populations around the world add spicy peppers to their local dishes to enhance the taste and make for a more punchy culinary experience.
一項在中國進行的研究發現，在食用紅辣椒與認知能力下降風險增加之間存在著一種有趣的聯繫。世界各地的許多人都在家常菜中加入了辣椒，以提升味道，並帶來更強烈的烹飪體驗。But are spicy peppers healthful, or do they pose any health risks? The spiciest peppers in the world, such as the Carolina Reaper, could cause serious, immediate damage. For example, in 2018, a man from the United States who ate a Carolina Reaper as part of a dare in a hot pepper eating contest ended up in the emergency room with a thunderclap headache.
但是，味道辛辣的辣椒究竟是有益於健康，還是會帶來健康風險呢？世界上最辣的辣椒（比如卡羅萊納死神辣椒）可能會立即對你造成嚴重的傷害。例如，2018年，一名來自美國的男子在參加吃辣椒比賽時食用了卡羅萊納死神辣椒，結果因霹靂樣頭痛而被送去急診室。However, most people will not reach for the extreme versions of this hot vegetable. Instead, most cuisines use much milder varieties — some of which are still very spicy — such as jalape?os, cherry peppers, cayenne peppers, Scotch bonnets, and habaneros.
然而，大多數人並不會食用這種極端辣度的辣椒。大多數菜系往往會使用更為溫和的辣椒品種，當然其中一些還是狠辣，比如墨西哥胡椒、櫻桃辣椒、卡宴辣椒、蘇格蘭帽紅辣椒、哈瓦那辣椒等。Previous research into the potential effects of chili peppers on health has generally had positive findings. A large cohort study from 2017, for instance, found that eating hot red chili peppers was associated with lower mortality risk.
此前的研究大都發現辣椒對健康具有潛在的積極影響。例如，2017年的一項大型隊列研究發現，吃紅辣椒與較低的死亡風險存在關聯。The main active ingredient in hot peppers, and the one that makes them spicy, is capsaicin, so it is most likely that this compound plays a lead role in hot peppers』 potential effect on health.
辣椒的主要活性成分是辣椒素，這也是辣椒之所以辣的原因之一，因此這種化合物很可能在辣椒對健康的潛在影響中起到了主導作用。In spite of encouraging findings about the association between chili peppers and mortality, no studies in humans had seriously evaluated how these hot vegetables might affect cognitive decline.
儘管人們在辣椒與死亡率的關係上有了令人鼓舞的發現，但至今還沒有一項人類研究對辣椒與認知能力下降的關係進行仔細評估。Now, the findings of a longitudinal cohort study in a large Chinese population suggest that consistently eating a large amount of chili pepper could hasten cognitive decline, increasing a person’s dementia risk.
如今，一項針對大樣本中國人群的縱向隊列研究發現，長期食用大量辣椒可能會導致認知能力加速衰退，並使老年痴呆症的患病風險增加。The research — presented in a study paper that features in the journal Nutrients — involved 4,582 Chinese participants aged over 55. The research team was led by Zumin Shi, Ph.D., from Qatar University, in Doha.
這項研究最終發表在《營養》雜誌上，研究涉及了4582名年齡在55歲以上的中國人。該研究小組由多哈卡達大學的史祖敏博士領導。「Chili consumption was found to be beneficial for body weight and blood pressure in our previous studies. However, in this study, we found adverse effects on cognition among older adults,」 notes Zumin.
史祖敏指出：「我們此前的研究發現，吃辣椒對於控制體重和血壓都有好處。然而，在這項研究中，我們發現了辣椒對老年人的認知能力存在不利影響。」The researchers found that people who ate more than 50 grams of chili per day on a regular basis had almost twice the risk of cognitive decline of people who ate less than this amount of chili.
研究人員發現，每天吃超過50克辣椒的人認知能力下降的風險幾乎是每天吃不到50克辣椒的人的兩倍。「Derived from dietary surveys, chili intake included both fresh and dried chili peppers, but did not include sweet capsicum or black pepper,」 the researchers mention in their study paper.
研究人員在論文中提到：「辣椒的攝入量是根據飲食調查得出的，包括新鮮辣椒和幹辣椒，但不包括甜辣椒和黑胡椒。」The team also noted that participants who generally ate a greater amount of chili tended to have a lower financial income, as well as a lower body mass index (BMI). They also engaged in less physical activity, compared with people who ate a smaller amount of chili pepper.
研究小組還指出，那些經常食用大量辣椒的參與者往往經濟收入較低，體重指數（BMI）也較低。與食用辣椒量較少的人相比，他們往往也更少參與體育活動。Moreover, the investigators suggest that people with a healthy BMI may have a more heightened sensitivity to capsaicin than those who are clinically overweight. The heightened sensitivity, the team adds, may also explain why these people may have a higher risk of cognitive decline.
此外，研究人員指出，相比於臨床意義上超重的人，BMI健康的人可能對辣椒素更敏感。研究小組補充道，敏感性的提高可能也解釋了為什麼這些人有更高的認知衰退風險。dementia [dɪˈmenʃə] n. 痴呆每天一篇雙語同源外刊沒有看夠！
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