研究人员警告说，营养不良者可能产生更危险的传染病。北卡罗来纳大学(University of North Carolina)的动物研究表明，在营养状况不良的宿主内，面对虚弱免疫反应的病毒会发生变异，变得更为强大。而一旦出现变异，就算是营养状况良好的宿主也会受到新的恶性病毒影响。北卡罗来纳大学研究人员贝克(Melinda A. Beck)说，许多人或许认为地球另一边的人营养不良不关他们的事，但正是营养不良促使了在全球肆虐的新型传染疾病的出现。

Researchers warn that malnourished people may be a breeding ground for more dangerous infectious diseases. Animal studies at the University of North Carolina show that in a host with poor nutrition, viruses mutate in the face of a weak immune response to become more powerful. And once those mutations occur, even well-nourished hosts are susceptible to the newly virulent virus. 'A lot of people may think malnutrition on the other side of the world isn't their problem,' says Melinda A. Beck, a researcher at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. But malnutrition 'is a driving force in emerging infectious diseases that are spreading around the world,' she says.

人体营养不良并不一定是因为饥饿所致。研究表明，肥胖除了会导致其他健康风险，也可能令人更容易感染流感等传染疾病。偏重加工食品和快餐食品的饮食可能缺乏对健康十分重要的维他命和矿物质。而饱和脂肪含量高的饮食似乎会抑制人体的免疫反应，增加感染风险。

The human body doesn't have to be starving to suffer from malnutrition. Studies show that obesity, in addition to its other health risks, may also make people more susceptible to infections like the flu. A diet heavy on processed and fast foods may be low in the vitamins and minerals important for health. And diets that are high in saturated fat appear to actually depress the body's immune response, increasing the risk of infections.

贝克说，对老鼠的研究表明，体型较瘦的动物感染流感病毒后死亡率仅为4%。而肥胖的老鼠感染流感病毒后死亡率为40%-60%。一项小规模研究表明，接种了流感疫苗的肥胖者并没有发生强烈的免疫反应，此后北卡罗来纳大学扩大了实验范围，比较瘦人和胖人的接种反应率。

Dr. Beck says studies of mice show that only 4% of lean animals infected with the flu virus die. That compares with a death rate of between 40% and 60% in obese mice infected with the virus. And after a small study showed that obese people vaccinated for the flu didn't mount a strong immune response, the University of North Carolina is expanding its trials to compare vaccination response rates in lean and obese people.

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