你是哪种小肚腩？2016找对方法甩掉小肚腩

What Does It Look Like?
外观

It’s not just your tummy that’s fat, although that will be the biggest part of you. Your whole body is big, including your arms and legs, giving you a puffy, marshmallowy look.
有代谢型肚腩的人，不但肚子肥大，而且全身浮肿，手脚壮硕。

What Causes It?
成因

The thyroid is a butterfly-shaped gland in the neck which makes a hormone called thyroxine, which controls how fast you process the calories in food.
每个人的颈部都有一条蝶形腺体，叫做甲状腺。其分泌的甲状腺素是人体代谢的“控制器”。

However about one in 13 women have a condition called hypothyroidism which means they make less of this hormone.
然而，十三分之一的女性患有甲状腺机能减退症，体内的甲状腺素明显不足。

Although the causes are not completely understood, it may be caused by the ageing process or because the gland is attacked by the body’s own immune system.
甲状腺机能减退症的成因尚不得而知，但人们普遍认为其与机体衰老有关，另外，人体自身的免疫系统也有可能攻击甲状腺。

Endocrinologist Professor Ashley Grossman, of London’s St Bartholomew’s Hospital says: ‘The thyroid is responsible for your overall metabolism. If you have hypothyroidism, you’re not burning up all the calories consumed, so the extra is stored and gets deposited all over the body as fat.’
伦敦圣巴塞罗缪医院的内分泌学家阿什利·格罗斯曼说：“甲状腺与人体新陈代谢息息相关。患有甲状腺机能减退症的病人无法完全分解摄入的热量。过多的热量便储存起来，转化为脂肪，分配到全身。”

How To Target It
甩肚秘诀

For many women, the first step is proper diagnosis, because hypothyroidism is often confused with general mid-life weight gain.
由于人们常常混淆甲状腺机能减退症与一般性的中年发福，所以对多数妇女而言，第一步是认清病因。

Treatment may include drugs containing a synthetic version of the hormones to top up levels.
治疗该病，一般会服用合成激素，以提升体内甲状腺素水平。

Natural approaches include eating foods rich in iodine - which help support the thyroid - like shellfish, seafood and dark leafy green vegetables such as spinach.
另外，患者也可采用食疗，多吃贝类、海鲜，或菠菜等绿叶蔬菜。这些食物富含碘元素，对甲状腺有好处。

Vocabulary

cauldron: 大锅
pot belly: 啤酒肚
cortisol: 皮质醇
oestrogen: 雌激素
endometriosis: 子宫内膜异位
uterus: 子宫
fibroid: 子宫肌瘤
linea alba: 腹白线
thyroid: 甲状腺
thyroxine: 甲状腺素
hypothyroidism: 甲状腺功能减退
iodine: 碘