抗雾霾新武器：服用维生素B能降低PM2.5伤害

　　Vitamin B could help mitigate the effects of the most dangerous type of air pollution, according to a new study published Monday. A team of international researchers looked at the damage caused by one of the pollutants that has the most severe impact on health: PM2.5.

　　根据星期一发表的一项最新研究显示，B族维生素可以帮助减轻最危险的空气污物—PM2.5对人类健康的影响。

　　The team found that something as simple as a daily vitamin B supplement could potentially reduce the impact of the tiny particles on the human body, although they stressed that research was in its early stages and the sample size was small.

　　研究小组发现，一些简单的日常B族维生素可能会减少微小颗粒对人体健康的影响，尽管研究人员强调其研究仍处于早期阶段，且样本量较小。

　　Once the particles are inhaled they can result in lung and systemic inflammation and stress, experts say.

　　这些微粒一旦被吸入，就会导致肺部和全身炎症。

　　According to the WHO, 92% of the world’s population lives in places where the PM2.5 level exceeds the recommended threshold. However, how exactly these particles make people unwell is not fully understood.

　　WHO估计，全世界有92%的人口居住在空气质量没有达到WHO标准的地方。然而，人们还未完全了解空气污染对健康影响的分子基础。

　　For this study, published in the science journal PNAS, 10 volunteers were initially exposed to clean air and given a placebo to check their baseline responses.

　　该研究结果发表在《PNAS》上，研究人员招募了10名志愿者参与试验，他们最初暴露在洁净空气环境中，每天服用安慰剂已测定受试者的基线反应水平。

　　The group then took another placebo for four weeks before being exposed to heavily polluted air from downtown Toronto, where an estimated 1,000 cars pass every hour.

　　有害环境微粒从多伦多城区一个交通繁忙的街道上引入，每小时超过1000辆车经过。

　　The bad air was delivered to the volunteers through an "oxygen type" face mask. The experiment was then repeated, with each volunteer taking a B vitamin supplement daily -- made up of 2.5 mg of folic acid, 50 mg of vitamin B6, and 1 mg of vitamin B12.

　　这些微粒通过“氧气类型”面罩投递给受试者，且每天服用维生素补充剂(2.5毫克叶酸、50毫克维生素B6，1毫克维生素B12)。

　　B6 can be found in liver, chicken and nuts, amongst other things, and B12 in fish, meat, eggs, milk and some cereals.

　　肝脏、鸡肉和坚果富含维生素B6，肉类、蛋奶类和一些谷物富含维生素B12。

　　The researchers found that four weeks of B vitamin supplements reduced the damage of PM2.5 exposure by 28-76%.

　　研究结果显示，服用B族维生素四周可减少PM2.5暴露损伤约28%-76%。

　　The results highlight how prevention at an individual level could be used to fight the adverse effects of PM2.5, the researchers said.

　　研究者说道，该研究揭示了如何从个体层面防止PM2.5所造成的的负面影响。

　　Future studies, especially in heavily polluted areas, are urgently needed to validate our findings and ultimately develop preventive interventions using B vitamins to contain the health effects of air pollution, said one researcher.

　　另一名研究人员说：“下一步，我们迫切需要在空气严重污染的地区验证我们的研究结果，并最终制定预防性干预措施，即使用B族维生素来防止空气污染的健康影响。”