The Internet abounds with all manner of diets and dietary advice. In recent years, much has been written about the benefits of intermittent fasting. This is confining daily eating to an 8-hour window, leaving a 16-hour gap without any food. Proponents of this dietary regimen say it improves metabolism and assists in cellular repair. However, a new long-term study has cast doubt on its merits. Researchers at the Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine in China concluded that people who restricted their eating to fewer than eight hours a day faced a 91 per cent higher risk of dying from cardiovascular diseases than those who ate over 12 to 16 hours.
網路上充斥著各式各樣的飲食法和膳食建議。近年來，有大量文章探討間歇性斷食的益處——這種飲食方式將每日進食時間壓縮在8小時內，其餘16小時完全不進食。支持者認為此模式能改善新陳代謝並促進細胞修復。然而，一項最新長期研究對其效益提出了質疑。中國上海交通大學醫學院的研究人員指出，每日進食時間少於8小時的人羣，因心血管疾病死亡的風險比進食時間分布在12至16小時的人高出91%。
The researchers analyzed data from about 20,000 adults over a six-year period. Lead researcher Dr Victor Wenze Zhong said he was taken aback by his findings. He said: "We were surprised to find that people who followed an eight-hour, time-restricted eating schedule were more likely to die from cardiovascular disease." He added: "Our study's findings encourage a cautious, personalized approach to dietary recommendations, ensuring they are aligned with an individual's health status and the latest scientific evidence." The Mayo Clinic observed that fasting has been popular for over 1,500 years. It advised that "Intermittent fasting can be safer with supervision from your healthcare team."
研究團隊分析了近2萬名成年人長達六年的數據。首席研究員Victor Wenze Zhong博士表示，研究結果令他感到震驚。他提到：「我們驚訝地發現，遵循8小時進食制的人羣，死於心血管疾病的可能性顯著更高。」並強調：「本研究鼓勵以更謹慎且個人化的方式制定飲食建議，必須綜合考量個人健康狀況與最新科學實證。」梅奧診所則指出，斷食實踐已盛行超過1500年，並建議：「在醫療團隊監督下進行間歇性斷食會更安全。」
Vocabulary 單字
•Abounds (verb): exists in large amounts.
•Intermittent (adjective): starting and stopping.
•Confining (verb): restricting.
•Regimen (noun): a structured plan.
•Proponents (noun): supporters.
•Metabolism (noun): the body's energy process.
•Cast doubt on (phrase): made it seem less true.
•Restricted (verb): limited.
•Cardiovascular (adjective): related to the heart and blood vessels.
•Analyzed (verb): studied in detail.
•Taken aback (phrase): surprised.
•Cautious (adjective): careful.
•Personalized (adjective): made for an individual.
•Aligned (verb): matched or agreed with.
•Supervision (noun): oversight or management.
