While Popeye ate spinach everyday to maintain strong muscles, he was alsobettering his memory, maybe without even knowing it.

　　大力水手每天吃菠菜增強(qiáng)肌肉，不過(guò)有一點(diǎn)他可能沒(méi)注意到——就是他的記憶力也增強(qiáng)了。

　　Consuming just a daily serving of spinach -- or any type of leafy green,for that matter -- may help slow the process of age-associated cognitivedecline, according to a new study.The reason? Vitamin K.

　　根據(jù)一項(xiàng)新的研究，每天吃菠菜——或者其他綠葉蔬菜，這樣——會(huì)減慢年齡相關(guān)的認(rèn)知能力減退。是什么原因呢?維他命K。

　　A group of researchers at Rush University in Chicago who analyzed the dietsand mental functions of 954 elderly people over a five year period found thatthose who incorporated more green in their diets were more likely to be mentallysharp.

　　芝加哥拉什大學(xué)的一組研究人員分析了954位老年人的飲食規(guī)律和心智機(jī)能，研究為期5年。研究發(fā)現(xiàn)那些平日多吃綠色蔬菜的人頭腦會(huì)更敏捷一些。

　　The researchers tracked the diets of participants, whose age averaged 81,for an average of five years. They found that people who ate one or two dailyportions of green leafy vegetables had the same cognitive abilities as someone11 years younger who never consumed leafy greens.

　　參與實(shí)驗(yàn)的人平均年齡為81歲，研究人員追蹤其飲食長(zhǎng)達(dá)5年的時(shí)間。他們發(fā)現(xiàn)那些每天或者每隔一天吃綠葉蔬菜的人，其認(rèn)知能力與比自己年輕11歲但不吃綠葉蔬菜的人相當(dāng)。

　　Beyond spinach, vegetables like kale, collards and mustard greens couldalso be effective in slowing down the brain's aging process. Previous studieshave found that both folateand beta-carotene are brain boosters, but this studyis the first to evaluate the benefits vitamin K has on the brain.

　　除了菠菜，像甘藍(lán)、甘藍(lán)葉、芥菜這些綠色蔬菜也能減緩人腦的衰退。之前的研究發(fā)現(xiàn)葉酸和 -葫蘿卜素都是大腦助推器，但是這項(xiàng)研究是第一次評(píng)估出維他命K對(duì)大腦的益處。

　　“No other studies have looked at vitamin K in relation to change incognitive abilities over time, and only a limited number of studies have foundsome association with lutein," said Martha Clare Morris, Sc.D., assistantprovost for community research at Rush University Medical Center and the leaderof the study's research team. The team believes that other foods high in thesenutrients, like asparagus, brussels sprouts and carrots could provide the samebenefits as the darker greens, and they intend to expand their research toexplore this possibility.

　　瑪莎·克萊爾·莫里斯(拉什大學(xué)醫(yī)學(xué)中心的社區(qū)研究助理教務(wù)長(zhǎng)兼研究團(tuán)隊(duì)隊(duì)長(zhǎng))說(shuō)：“在這之前沒(méi)有其他的研究表明維他命K同認(rèn)知能力的改變有關(guān)聯(lián)，只是有少量的研究發(fā)現(xiàn)它同葉黃素有關(guān)。”整個(gè)團(tuán)隊(duì)相信其他的食物在這些營(yíng)養(yǎng)方面也會(huì)有較高的含量，像萵筍、抱子甘藍(lán)和胡蘿卜可以起到同深綠色食物一樣的功效，他們決定擴(kuò)大他們的研究范圍盡可能地去發(fā)現(xiàn)。

　　The research holds promise for a brain booster that is accessible andaffordable.

　　該研究提供了一種可行、并且人們買得起的大腦助推器。

　　The study was presented at the Experimental Biology meeting on March30.

　　這項(xiàng)研究在3月30號(hào)在“實(shí)驗(yàn)生物學(xué)會(huì)議”上發(fā)表。