專家發現進化悖論：男人越追求健美體格，生育能力越低！
Fertility paradox in male beauty quest
男性健美追求中關於生育的悖論
來源：BBC 翻譯：世界播
Scientists have uncovered an evolutionary paradox where men damage their ability to have children during efforts to make themselves look more attractive.
科學家們發現了一個進化上的悖論：男性在努力讓自己看起來更有吸引力的過程中，會損害自己的生育能力。
Taking steroids to get a buff physique or anti-baldness pills to keep a full head of hair can damage fertility.
服用類固醇讓體格更健美或服用抗脫髮藥物來保持滿頭秀髮會損害生育能力。
It has been named the Mossman-Pacey paradox after the scientists who first described it.
這被命名為「莫斯曼-佩西悖論」，以最早得出這個理論的科學家的名字命名。
They say it causes a lot of heartache in couples struggling to conceive.
他們說，這對努力想懷孕的夫婦會造成很多麻煩。
"I noticed some men coming in to have their fertility tested and these guys were huge," says Dr James Mossman, now at Brown University in the United States.
「我注意到有些來做生育能力測試的男性體型都很龐大。」現就職於美國布朗大學的詹姆斯·莫斯曼博士說道。
He was studying for his doctorate in Sheffield when he made the connection with steroid abuse.
他在謝菲爾德攻讀博士學位時，發現了與類固醇濫用有關的問題。
He told the BBC: "They are trying to look really big, to look like the pinnacles of evolution.
他在接受BBC採訪時表示：「他們努力讓自己看起來非常壯碩，像進化到了巔峰一樣。」
"But they are making themselves very unfit in an evolutionary sense, because without exception they had no sperm in their ejaculate at all."
「但從進化的角度來看，他們會讓自己非常不健康，因為毫無例外，他們的精液中根本沒有精子。」
Anabolic steroids mimic the effect of the male hormone testosterone in the body and are used as performance-enhancing drugs to increase muscle growth.
合成代謝類固醇模仿男性激素睾酮在體內的作用，並被用作增強肌肉生長的藥物。
They are regularly used by bodybuilders.
健身愛好者經常會服用這類藥物。
Prof Allan Pacey, from the University of Sheffield, added: "Isn"t it ironic that men go to the gym to look wonderful, for the most part to attract women, and inadvertently decrease their fertility."
謝菲爾德大學的艾倫·佩西教授補充說：「男人去健身房是為了看起來身材更棒，在很大程度上，最終目的是為了吸引女人，但卻無意中降低了他們的生育能力，這難道不諷刺嗎？」
Dr Mossman and Prof Pacey: Originators of the paradox theory
莫斯曼博士和佩西教授：悖論理論的首次提出者
Anabolic steroids fool the brain"s pituitary gland into thinking the testes are going into overdrive.
合成代謝類固醇會矇騙大腦的腦下垂體，讓它以為睾丸會加倍活躍。
So the glands react by shutting down the production of two hormones - called FSH and LH - which are the key hormones that drive the production of sperm.
因此，腺體的反應是停止產生兩種激素——FSH（卵泡生成激素）和LH（黃體生成激素）——這是驅動產生精子的關鍵激素。
The researchers say there is a similar theme in men using medication to prevent male pattern baldness.
研究人員表示，男性使用藥物來預防男性禿髮也有類似的影響。
The drug finasteride changes the way testosterone is metabolised in the body and can limit hair loss, but side effects can include erectile dysfunction and a hit to fertility.
非那雄胺（防脫髮藥物）能改變體內睾丸激素的代謝方式，並能抑制脫髮，但副作用可能包括勃起功能障礙和生育能力下降。
Prof Pacey told the BBC: "I would say more anabolic steroid users are likely to become sterile than you would think - 90% probably.
佩西教授告訴BBC：「我想說的是，使用合成代謝類固醇的人不育的可能性比你想像的要高，可能達到90%。」
"Baldness is a bit more hit-and-miss, but sales are going through the roof and that makes it an increasingly common problem."
「禿頂比較偏向於碰運氣，但防脫髮藥物銷量正在飆升，這使得禿頂成為一個越來越普遍的問題。」
"Evolutionary dud"
「進化的廢物」
The measure of success in evolutionary terms is passing on your genes (instructions in your DNA) to the next generation.
從進化的角度來看，衡量成功與否的標準是將你的基因（DNA中的指令）傳給下一代。
Dr Mossman said taking these vanity-based medications might make you more attractive but could turn you into "an evolutionary dud".
莫斯曼博士說，因為虛榮心而服用這些藥物可能會讓你更有吸引力，但也可能會讓你變成「進化的廢物」。
It is not the equivalent of the extravagant peacock"s tail, which makes males more attractive to females and increases the chances of passing genes on to the next generation.
它並不等同於奢華的孔雀尾巴，孔雀尾巴讓雄性對雌性更具吸引力，並增加了基因傳遞給下一代的機會。
There are some examples in the natural world where an animal sacrifices their ability to breed.
在自然界中有一些動物犧牲了它們繁殖能力的例子。
Some bird species perform co-operative breeding in which individuals forego having their own offspring to help raise the descendants of close relatives.
有些鳥類進行合作繁殖，個體放棄自己的後代來幫助撫養近親的後代。
But even this can make sense in evolutionary terms as half of your genes are shared with siblings so they are still being passed on, just indirectly.
但從進化的角度來看，這也是有道理的，因為你有一半的基因是與兄弟姐妹共享的，所以它們仍然在被間接地傳遞。
Dr Mossman suspects "thinking you"re more appealing to the opposite sex, but killing your fertility" is probably unique to humans.
莫斯曼博士覺得「認為自己對異性更有吸引力，卻扼殺了自己生育能力」可能是人類獨有的現象。
Prof Pacey told the BBC: "The irony is one thing, but I think the key message is for fertility patients.
佩西教授告訴BBC：「具有諷刺意味是一方面，但我認為這對於有生育能力問題的患者來說更是個關鍵的信息。」
"It keeps cropping up in clinics and the message is not getting out to young men that it"s a problem and a bit of info could save them a lot of heartache."
「這種情況在診所里時有發生，而年輕男性卻沒有意識到這是個問題，這一點點信息就能讓他們免受很多痛苦。」
TAG:世界播 |