We all love sweets.
我们都热爱甜食
And even if you’re very healthy and fitness-conscious
即使你本身既健康又注重体型
it’s hard to simply do away with all the yummy goodness.
放弃所有好吃的仍是一项考验
For some of us, the problem lies with the insatiable addiction to chocolate.
对某些人 巧克力的诱惑无法抵御
But, what if our joy of chocolate can be a good thing?
但 如果把享用巧克力变成一件好事呢？
Heck, what if it can help you build muscle?
如果它能帮你锻炼肌肉呢？
Well, that’s the case being made about dark chocolate.
这里就有一个关于黑巧克力的例子
The belief is that dark chocolate can increase muscle growth
有人相信黑巧可以增长肌肉
because it contains the flavanol epicatechin.
因为它富含黄烷醇表儿茶素
Epicatechin has been hypothesized to invoke two significant muscle-building properties:
表儿茶素被认为有两项显著增长肌肉的功效
decreasing myostatin, and increasing follistatin.
降低肌抑素 提高卵泡抑素
A 2014 study seeking potential methods to diminish the effects of sarcopenia,
为寻求解决肌少症 即肌肉群因年龄原因萎缩
the process in which we lose muscle mass due to aging, tested exactly for this.
一项2014年的研究对此进行了试验
With roughly 150 milligrams of epicatechin supplementation per day,
每日150毫克的表儿茶素补剂
the 6 middle-aged subjects saw a 16.6% myostatin decrease
使六位中年实验者的肌抑素降低16.6%
and a 49.2% follistatin increase.
卵泡抑素则增长了49.2%
So why is all of this important?
那么 这些数据有何重要？
Myostatin is a regulating protein that alters the rate of muscle growth,
肌抑素是一种调节蛋白 通过制造肌肉外壁
creating a genetic muscle ceiling.
改变肌肉增长率
The more myostatin present, the lower the amount of muscle you can build.
肌抑素越多 肌肉量越少
As seen in other animals, the lack of myostatin
此亦见于其他动物中 肌抑素的减少
can invoke unnatural amounts of muscle.
会导致肌肉量的不正常增长
The protein follistatin, has an antagonist effect to myostatin,
卵泡抑素蛋白与肌抑素存在拮抗作用
diminishing myostatin’s muscle limiting effect.
它能降低肌抑素对肌肉的限制
Fittingly, if your goal is to build muscle,
若你的目标是健身增肌
you want myostatin reduced,
你希望降低肌抑素
but not to the point of completely removing it.
又并非完全消除它
And as showcased, this is a very likely scenario with epicatechin
那么前面所说的表儿茶素正好适用
and the necessary amount can be obtained through dark chocolate.
所需用量可从黑巧中获取
However… the amount you have to eat is relatively high.
不过 你得吃很多很多的黑巧才行
Now, all dark chocolates are not created equal.
而且 每块黑巧中的表儿茶素含量并不完全相同
The ones with the highest epicatechin content are the ones with the highest cocoa purity.
可可含量越高的黑巧 表儿茶素才越高
You will need 100 grams of 50% cocoa dark chocolate
你得吃下100克含50%可可的黑巧
to reach the 150 milligrams of epicatetchin used in the study.
才能达到研究中的150毫克表儿茶素用量
However, you will only need 60 grams of 85% cocoa dark chocolate to reach the same amount.
不过食用60克含85%可可的黑巧就可以达到相同用量
Do the math and that’s roughly 350 to 600 calories
计算可得 单单从黑巧中
from nothing but chocolate… per day.
每日就得摄入350-600卡路里
For some, that’s not a problem.
对某些人这不是问题
For others, especially those with weight restricted goals,
而对需要限制体重的人来说
it will be quite difficult to reach this amount.
要吃这么多量就太难了
And whether consuming smaller amounts will still yield
而减少黑巧食用量是否仍能
enough growth benefits remain to be seen.
获取足够增肌量还不得而知
On top of that, it’s not entirely certain that even high amounts of epicatechin
最重要的是 还无法完全确定表儿茶素的
can ensure greater muscle growth,
高摄入量会必然提高增肌量
but the research does look promising.
但此项研究仍很有前景
Either way, the epicatechin benefits don’t stop there.
不论如何 表儿茶素的好处不止于此
It can potentially increase testosterone,
它可以提高睾酮含量
increase ghrelin, which suppresses appetite,
提高可抑制胃口的生长素含量
and increase nitric oxide, which can improve blood flow to the muscles.
并增加一氧化氮含量 促进血液向肌肉流通
Time will only tell how effective epicatechin and dark chocolate can be.
能证明表儿茶素和黑巧功效的唯有时间
For now, if you’re already enjoying a decent dose of your favorite dark chocolate,
若你已在享用适量的黑巧
you can have some peace of mind
可以放宽心了
knowing your sweets can potentially improve your gains.
这种甜食对你有潜在益处
What’s your thoughts on dark chocolate gains?
对于黑巧的好处 你怎么想？
Believe the hype?
如相信这一理论
Share your thoughts below.
请访问以下网站分享你的想法
Check out some new PictureFit tees while you’re at it.
并可查看新款picturefit牌T恤衫
And as always, thanks for watching!
一如既往 感谢收看