Is Seafood Good for Your Brain?
海鲜对你的大脑有好处吗?
In fact, nutrition research over the last 20 years has revealed the increasing importance of including fish and seafood in an overall healthy diet. But what exactly does the research us about the link between seafood, cognition, mood and brain structure?
事实上，过去20年的营养研究揭示了将鱼类和海鲜纳入整体健康饮食中的重要性日益增加。但是，研究究竟告诉我们海鲜、认知、情绪和大脑结构之间存在怎样的联系呢？
DHA, or docosahexaenoic acid, is an omega-3 fatty acid that is a building block of our brain. In other words, just as calcium is to our bones, DHA is to our brains.
二十二碳六烯酸（DHA）是一种欧米伽-3脂肪酸，是我们大脑的基本构成成分。换句话说，正如钙对我们的骨骼至关重要，DHA 对我们的大脑也是不可或缺的。
Seafood is the main source of DHA in the diet, so it's not surprising that scientists are making note of links between eating seafood and brain health. Seafood also contains protein, essential vitamins and minerals, and EPA, or eicosapentaenoic acid, another type of omega-3 fatty acid that supports brain health.
海鲜是饮食中 DHA 的主要来源，因此，科学家注意到吃海鲜与大脑健康之间的联系也就不足为奇了。海鲜还含有蛋白质、必需维生素和矿物质以及二十碳五烯酸（EPA），这是另一种支持大脑健康的欧米伽-3脂肪酸。
A body of research has found that EPA and DHA reduce small proteins in the brain that promote inflammation and are associated with depression, Alzheimer's disease and cognitive decline.
大量研究发现，EPA 和 DHA 能够减少大脑中促进炎症的小蛋白质，而这些蛋白质与抑郁症、 阿尔茨海默病和认知衰退有关。
Another study, in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, found that people who regularly eat fish have more voluminous brains than those who do not. This study found that eating fish – baked or broiled – is associated with larger gray matter volumes in brain areas responsible for memory and cognition in healthy elderly people.
另一项发表在《美国预防医学杂志》上的研究发现，经常吃鱼的人的大脑体积更大。这项研究发现，吃鱼（尤其是烤或煮的鱼）与老年人负责记忆和认知的大脑区域灰质体积更大有关。
Eating fish at least twice a week may shield delicate blood vessels in the brain from subtle damage that can lead to mild cognitive impairment, dementia or stroke, according to research published in Neurology in 2021, adding to the growing evidence that seafood supports brain health.
2021年发表在《神经学》杂志上的一项研究发现，每周至少吃鱼两次可能有助于保护大脑中脆弱的血管，防止其受到可能导致轻度认知障碍、痴呆或中风的损伤，这为海鲜有益大脑健康的证据增添了新的一笔。
Omega-3 levels can be measured in the body as a marker of how much seafood and/or omega-3 supplements people consume.
体内欧米伽-3脂肪酸水平可以作为衡量人们摄入海鲜和/或欧米伽-3补充剂多少的指标。
The most pressing and immediate thing in peoples live is the behaviors and emotions that emerge when brain is deficient and critical nutrients. In other words, keeping our brains nourished is just as important for our mental health as it is for our cognitive health.
在人们生活中最紧迫和直接的事情是，当大脑缺乏关键营养时，会表现出什么样的行为和情绪。换句话说，保持大脑营养充足对我们的心理健康和认知健康同样重要。
Nearly 20 years ago, the American Psychiatric Association concluded that omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA have a protective effect in mood disorders like major depressive disorder and bipolar disorder.
大约20年前，美国精神病学协会得出结论，欧米伽-3脂肪酸 EPA 和 DHA 对重度抑郁症和双相情感障碍等情绪障碍具有保护作用。
苏格拉底有一句名言：我知我无知。说的是，当你认识到的东西越多就越发现自己无知。苏格拉底认为，人对于客观世界的认识是有限的，且不可能完全认识客观世界，并且不应对客观世界刨根究底。神对于世界的规划自有安排，若人一意孤行地探索世界和自然的奥秘，则最终将亵渎甚至触怒神明。正因为人对神所构建的世界不可能实现完全认知，因此那些宣称自己能够认识和改造世界的人，本身便是无知的代言。尽管苏格拉底的关于“ 我知我无知”的观念的解读，在现在看来有失客观科学。但至少苏格拉底告诫人们，人的认知是有限的，现有的知识甚至可能存在错误和疏漏。因此，无论任何时代，我们都必须对自己的无知加以认识并通过不懈的开拓，去更新甚至颠覆固有的知识结构。我们在求学之路上也要报以我知我不知的心态，才能走得更远、终有所成。最后，祝愿每一位考研学子都能顺利上岸！
