New research on vegetables and aging gives mothers another reason to say "I told you so." It found that eating vegetables appears to help keep the brain young and may slow the mental decline sometimes associated with growing old.

　　一项调查蔬菜与衰老的关系的研究让妈妈们更有理由说"我早告诉过你了"。该研究发现吃蔬菜似乎能帮助大脑青春常驻，同时可能延缓由年龄增长造成的智力下降。

　　On measures of mental sharpness, older people who ate more than two servings of vegetables daily appeared about five years younger at the end of the six-year study than those who ate few or no vegetables.

　　在这项为期六年的研究结束时，智力反映快慢的测试显示，每天吃两道以上蔬菜的老人比那些很少吃或根本不吃的同龄人大约年轻五岁。

　　The research in almost 2,000 Chicago-area men and women doesn't prove that vegetables reduce mental decline, but it adds to mounting evidence pointing in that direction. The findings also echo previous research in women only.

　　尽管对芝加哥地区约两千名男女所做的这项研究没有证明蔬菜减少智力水平的下降，但它为这一论点提供了更多一条论据。这次的研究发现与以前只针对妇女所做的研究结果一致。

　　Green leafy vegetables including spinach, kale and collards appeared to be the most beneficial" title="a.有利的，有益的">beneficial. The researchers said that may be because they contain healthy amounts of vitamin E, an antioxidant that is believed to help fight chemicals produced by the body that can damage cells.

　　包括菠菜，无头甘蓝和羽衣甘蓝叶在内的绿叶蔬菜似乎最有好处。研究人员认为这可能源于绿叶菜中含有大量维生素E，一种抗氧化剂，据信能帮助抗击人体内产生的能破坏细胞的化学物质。

　　Vegetables generally contain more vitamin E than fruits. Vegetables also are often eaten with healthy fats such as salad oils, which help the body absorb vitamin E and other antioxidants, said lead author Martha Clare Morris, a researcher at Chicago's Rush University Medical Center.

　　一般来说蔬菜里的维生素E比水果中的多。而且蔬菜经常和沙拉酱等有益健康的脂肪一起被食用，这有助于人体更好地吸收维生素E以及其他抗氧化剂，研究报告的主要作者，芝加哥RUSH大学医疗中心的玛撒.克莱尔.莫里斯研究员如是说。

　　The fats from healthy oils can help keep cholesterol low and arteries clear, which both contribute to brain health.

　　有益健康的食用油中的脂肪能帮助胆固醇保持在较低水平，并有助于保持动脉的畅通。这些都对大脑健康有好处。

　　The study was published in this week's issue of the journal Neurology and funded with grants from the National Institute on Aging.

　　这项研究发表在本周出版的《神经学》杂志上，得到了由全国老年研究学会的出资支持。

　　The research involved 1,946 people aged 65 and older who filled out questionnaires about their eating habits. A vegetable serving equaled about a half-cup chopped or one cup if the vegetable was a raw leafy green like spinach.

　　有1946名年龄在65岁以上（含65岁）的老人参与了调查，填写了有关他们饮食习惯的问卷。一道蔬菜的量相当于半碗切碎的绿叶菜,例如菠菜，或一碗未经加工的绿叶菜。

　　They also had mental function tests three times over about six years.

　　在这六年中，他们还接受了三次大脑功能的测试。

　　The tests included measures of short-term and delayed memory, which asked these older people to recall elements of a story that had just been read to them. The participants also were given a flashcard-like exercise using symbols and numbers.

　　测试内容包括衡量他们短期和延时记忆，也就是让这些老人回忆刚给他们讲过的故事内容。参与者还被要求辨认有符号和数字的抽认卡。

　　（中国国际广播电台译）