They say variety is the spice of life but new research shows that it may also fuel weight gain.
Today we have increasing choice of food - being bombarded with chocolate varieties at the supermarket, for example - can lead to obesity.
Women who ate macaroni and cheese every day for a week were taking in 100 fewer calories each day than normal by the week's end, the study by scientists at the Universities of Buffalo and Vermont showed.
Essentially, eating the same food every day may make you so bored that you eat less.
Published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, the research also suggests that- no matter whether obese or non-obese -those who had a more varied diet ate more calories each week.
In the same way that drug addicts become used to a drug of choice and need higher and higher doses to achieve an effect, repeatedexposure to the same meal can lead to decreased responding, known as habituation.
It's not known, however, whether this would lead to sustained reduced energy intake or how long it takes to become habituated to a food.


据英国《每日邮报》21日报道，虽然人们常说"有变化，生活才会有乐趣"，但是，最新一项研究表明，饮食多样化可能会使人发胖。

如今，人们在饮食方面有了更多的选择--比如超市里到处可见的形形色色的巧克力就有可能致人肥胖。

科学家在佛蒙特州立大学和布法罗大学进行的研究表明，女性每天吃通心粉和奶酪为期一周之后，每日摄取的热量要比平时少 100卡路里。

本来，每天吃同样的食物就会让人感到厌烦，吃得也不会多。


这项发表在美国《临床营养学期刊》上的研究还表明，不论本来肥胖与否，饮食种类丰富的人每周会摄入更多热量。

当吸毒者习惯于选择吸食一种毒品时，就需要摄入越来越多的剂量来产生毒品的效果。同样道理，一直食用同样的食物也会使身体对卡路里的反应减弱，这就是所谓的"习惯化"。


但是，就食用单调的食物能否产生持续减少热量摄入的效果及人们多长时间后会习惯一种食物这两个问题，目前还没有明确的答案。

• variety [və´raiəti] n.变化；多样(性)；种类 (初中英语单词)
• research [ri´sə:tʃ] n.&vi.调查；探究；研究 (初中英语单词)
• cheese [tʃi:z] n.干酪，乳酪 (初中英语单词)
• normal [´nɔ:məl] a.正规的 n.正常状态 (初中英语单词)
• journal [´dʒə:nəl] n.日记；日报；杂志 (初中英语单词)
• achieve [ə´tʃi:v] vt.完成；达到；获得 (初中英语单词)
• energy [´enədʒi] n.活力，精力；能力 (初中英语单词)
• buffalo [´bʌfələu] n.水牛；野牛 (高中英语单词)
• repeated [ri´pi:tid] a.反复的；重复的 (高中英语单词)
• exposure [ik´spəuʒə] n.暴露；曝光(时间) (高中英语单词)
• varied [´veərid] a.各种各样的 (英语四级单词)
• taking [´teikiŋ] a.迷人的 n.捕获物 (英语六级单词)
• nutrition [nju:´triʃən] n.营养(物)；食物 (英语六级单词)