A recent study has found that being exposed to low temperatures creates more good fat which burns calories in the body. Being cold is similar to the effects of exercise, protecting against being too fat and improving health. The researchers have discovered that exposure to cold changes the make-up of gut bacteria (肠道细菌), which can lead to burning fat and reduce body weight.
While ordinary white fat, known as bad fat, piles on when we eat more calories than we burn, brown fat seems to burn extra calories to produce heat. Babies have lots of brown fat — they need it to keep warm — but there are small amounts in the necks of adults, too. Studies have shown that staying in a cold environment can speed the formation of more brown fat in the body.
Researchers predicted the health benefits of being exposed to cold may have something to do with gut bacteria. They exposed the first group of mice to a cold temperature of 6℃for up to 10 days and discovered this caused a major change in the make-up of the mice’s gut microbes (微生物), preventing the mice from gaining weight.
Then, the gut bacteria were put into the second group of mice that did not have gut microbes. It was found that they increased tolerance (忍耐力) to cold temperatures. The mice also lost weight as the changes in gut bacteria promoted the formation of brown fat. However, after three weeks of cold exposure, the body weight began to remain stable.
Professor Mirko Trajkovski said, that they provide powerful evidence that gut microbes play a key role in people’s ability to adapt to the environment. They are excited about testing whether gut microbes could be a promising approach to preventing being fat.
12. What’s the new result of the recent study?
A.Good fat has nothing to do with calories. | B.Exercise can change the make-up of gut bacteria. |
C.Being cold helps people lose weight. | D.Gut bacteria will stop producing brown fat. |
13. What do we know about brown fat?
A.It’s usually considered as bad fat. | B.It fails to produce in a cold environment. |
C.It can’t be found in the bodies of adults. | D.It burns more calories in low temperatures. |
14. With the gut bacteria, the second group of mice ________.
A.kept losing weight every day | B.had much less brown fat in the cold |
C.gained a better ability to stand the cold | D.could produce more bad fat in the body |
15. According to Mirko Trajkovski, the result ________.
A.could provide new treatment for overweight people |
B.shows people how to get used to the cold |
C.makes people realize the importance of keeping warm |
D.may cause more people to take exercise |