一項研究表明，睡眠呼吸暫停綜合癥這個可以使人在夜間喘不過氣的睡眠疾病也許與患者舌頭上的脂肪量有關。

Researchers don’t know why fat collects on the tongue, but they do know that larger and fattier tongues are more common among overweight people, who are more likely to experience this serious sleep condition.

研究人員們不清楚為什么脂肪會積聚在舌頭上，但他們知道舌頭體積大、堆積脂肪量高在超重者中更常見，這些人也更有可能患有這種嚴重的睡眠疾病。

In a study of 67 people treated for sleep apnoea who had lost body weight, scans suggested it was the reduction in volume of tongue fat which prompted improvements in their sleep. The researchers say the less fat on the tongue, the less likely it is to collapse and block the airways during sleep. Sleep apnoea can affect people’s quality of life by leaving them exhausted and stressed during the day.

一項研究觀察了67位接受睡眠呼吸暫停綜合癥治療且體重減輕的患者，掃描圖像顯示，正是舌頭上脂肪量的減少促進了他們的睡眠得到了改善。研究人員們表示，舌頭上的脂肪越少，它在睡眠時松垮并阻塞呼吸道的可能性就越低。睡眠呼吸暫停會影響人們的生活質量，讓他們在白天感到筋疲力盡，緊張焦慮。

The Pennsylvania researchers say there may be many people with fatty tongues who are at risk of the condition who are not obese. They now want to find out if some low-fat diets could specifically target fat in the tongue. Exercises for the upper airway to improve breathing are also being studied.

賓夕法尼亞大學的研究人員表示，可能有許多舌頭上脂肪量高卻不肥胖的人有患這種病的危險。他們現在想查明一些低脂飲食是否對降低舌頭上的脂肪量有效。同時，為改善呼吸的上呼吸道功能訓練也正在研究中。

詞匯

fattier 脂肪量更高的
overweight 超重的
apnoea 睡眠呼吸暫停綜合征
volume 體積
airways 呼吸道，氣管
quality of life 生活質量
obese 肥胖的
target 針對、以……為目標

閱讀理解：請在讀完上文后，回答下列問題。

1. What type of people are more likely to have larger and fattier tongues?

2. According to the study, how could losing body weight specifically help to improve people’s sleep?

3. True or false? Fatty tongues that block airways and cause sleep problems are only found in obese people.

4. How does sleep apnoea affect someone’s quality of life?

答案

1. What type of people are more likely to have larger and fattier tongues?
Larger and fattier tongues are more common among overweight people, who are more likely to experience this serious apnoea.

2. According to the study, how could losing body weight specifically help to improve people’s sleep?
In a study of 67 people treated for sleep apnoea who had lost body weight, scans suggested it was the reduction in volume of tongue fat which prompted improvements in their sleep.

3. True or false? Fatty tongues that block airways and cause sleep problems are only found in obese people.
False. The Pennsylvania researchers say there may be many people with fatty tongues who are at risk of the condition who are not obese.

4. How does sleep apnoea affect someone’s quality of life?
Sleep apnoea can affect people’s quality of life by leaving them exhausted and stressed during the day.