Do sugary drinks cause obesity? The US New York State Supreme Court’s Justice Milton Tingling isn’t convinced. Last month he dismissed New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s proposed ban on oversized soda drinks.
含糖饮料是肥胖的元凶吗？美国纽约州最高法院法官米尔顿•廷林并不相信这一说法。上个月他驳回了纽约市长迈克尔•布隆伯格关于禁售大瓶含糖饮料的提案。
While we know that sugary drinks are loaded with calories, which are believed to cause weight gain, many questions remain. For example, is diet soda any better? Does the carbon dioxide in fizzy drinks damage our bones? Here are the facts behind some claims made about sugary drinks and how they affect our health.
虽然我们都知道含糖饮料热量很高，被认为是导致体重上升的罪魁祸首，但仍有很多疑问。比如，无糖饮料是否稍好一些？汽水中的二氧化碳会损害骨骼吗？下面我们来揭开一些有关含糖饮料的说法背后的真相，一起来看看这些饮料是如何影响到人体健康的。
The claim: Diet soda is better for you than regular soda.
误区一：无糖汽水比一般汽水更健康。
The reality: “Diet soda is no panacea”, Lisa R. Young, a professor of nutrition at New York University, told The Huffington Post.
事实：“无糖饮料不是万灵药。”纽约大学营养学教授丽萨•R•杨在接受《赫芬顿邮报》采访时说。
Sugar-free doesn’t mean healthy. In fact, the “false sweetness” of diet soda can be quite problematic, according to Young. The theory is that the brain mistakenly thinks the sweetness in the drink means calories are entering the body, triggering metabolic processes that can lead to weight gain.
无糖不等于健康。杨教授表示，事实上，无糖汽水的“甜味替代素”会带来更大的问题。理论上来讲，大脑会将饮料的甜味误认为是身体正在摄入热量，从而启动新陈代谢，最终导致体重飙升。
These studies don’t necessarily prove drinking diet soda regularly causes health problems, Young cautions, but there’s certainly nothing nutritious about it.
杨教授告诫人们，尽管这些研究并不能完全证明无糖饮料会导致健康问题，但可以肯定的是它没任何营养可言。
The claim: Clear soda is healthier than dark soda.
误区二：无色汽水比深色汽水健康。
The reality: While the caramel coloring responsible for that dark hue can discolor your teeth, Young said, the big difference between clear and dark sodas is typically caffeine. Think Coca Cola versus Sprite.
事实：杨教授说，深色汽水中的焦糖色素会使牙齿颜色变深，无色汽水与深色汽水最典型的区别就是咖啡因。就拿可口可乐和雪碧打比方吧！
Since the average can of soda contains less caffeine than a cup of coffee, most soda drinkers probably don’t have to choose Coca Cola over Sprite. But if you are nearing the caffeine tipping point, it might be a rule worth considering.
由于一罐普通汽水中咖啡因的含量比一杯咖啡要低，大多数喝汽水的人大可不必为选可乐还是雪碧而发愁。但如果你体内的咖啡因含量已接近临界值，可能就要好好考虑清楚了。
The claim: Carbonated drinks weaken the bones.
误区三：碳酸饮料损害骨骼。
The reality: Research has zeroed in on the link between soda and bone density. A 2006 study found that women who drank three or more cans of Coca Cola a week had a significantly lower bone density. Researchers believe that the reason is phosphoric acid–found more often in dark sodas–which acidifies the blood, The Daily Beast reported. The body then “leaches some calcium out of your bones to neutralize the acid”, study author Katherine Tucker told the website.
事实：科学家们花大力气来研究汽水与骨密度之间的联系。一项2006年的研究表明，每周喝三罐以上可乐的女性骨密度明显较低。《每日野兽》网站有报道称，研究人员认为这是由于深色汽水中较为常见的磷酸成分使得血液酸化。该研究报告的作者凯瑟琳•塔克尔在接受采访时表示，人体骨骼将流失一部分钙质以中和这些酸性物质。
Others have suggested that it’s simply the carbonation that hurts bones, but the effect from a single soda is negligible, Popular Science reported.
《科技新时代》报道称，尽管一些人认为碳酸化作用会伤害到骨骼，但仅仅一瓶汽水的作用是微不足道的。
The claim: If you need a caffeine boost, choose an energy drink over coffee.
误区四：如果你需要咖啡因来提神，喝能量饮料而不是咖啡。
The reality: The truth is that soft drinks marketed for energy, such as Red Bull, contain less caffeine than a cup of coffee, but considerably more sugar.
事实：实际上，与一杯咖啡相比较，像红牛这样以补充能量为卖点的软饮料含有的咖啡因要少得多，但是糖分却高得多。
Energy drinks may be easier to drink, but that doesn’t change the fact that brewed coffee contains between 95 and 200 milligrams of caffeine per eight ounces (227 g), while Red Bull has about 80 mg for the same amount, according to US medical research group Mayo Clinic.
美国医学研究组织梅奥医学中心表示：尽管能量饮料更便于饮用，但这并不能改变每八盎司（227克）现煮咖啡中含有95—200毫克的咖啡因而红牛只有80毫克这一事实。
The claim: A trip to the gym warrants a sports drink
误区五：去健身房就该喝运动饮料。
The reality: You’re apt to think you’ll need a sports drink anytime you break a sweat. But the truth is that your electrolyte and glycogen reserves aren’t depleted until more than an hour of intensive training. So that 45-minute session on the treadmill? It’s probably not going to require much more than some water.
事实：你觉得只要出汗就该补充点运动饮料。但实际上，只有高强度训练一小时以上，人体才会分解电解质和糖原储备。如果在跑步机上跑上45分钟呢？大概你需要的就是喝点水而已。