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肌肉，不過有一點他可能沒注意到——就是他的記憶力也增強了。

　　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)一項新的研究，每天吃菠菜——或者其他綠葉蔬菜，這樣——會減慢年齡相關的認知能力減退。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.

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

　　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、甘藍葉、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，但是這項研究是第一次評估出維他命K對大腦的益處。

　　“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(拉什大學醫(yī)學中心的社區(qū)研究助理教務長兼研究團隊隊長)說：“在這之前沒有其他的研究表明維他命K同認知能力的改變有關聯(lián)，只是有少量的研究發(fā)現(xiàn)它同葉黃素有關。”整個團隊相信其他的食物在這些營養(yǎng)方面也會有較高的含量，像萵筍、抱子甘藍和胡蘿卜可以起到同深綠色食物一樣的功效，他們決定擴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.

　　這項研究在3月30號在“實驗生物學會議”上發(fā)表。