What Are the Risks of Smoking

吸烟有害健康 （6）

BENEFITS?

[28] Despite the weight of the data about the ills of tobacco smoke, research also shows some occasional benefit from smoking. Researchers at the Brookhaven National Laboratory in Upton, New York, reported that something in cigarette smoke lowers the levels of an enzyme known as MAO B.

[29] This coincides with an increase in dopamine, known for years to be the brain chemical responsible for part of nicotine's pleasure.

[30] Smokers, say the researchers, may have a lower risk of Parkinson's disease, because the nerve disease is aggravated by shortages of dopamine.

[31] And while smoking may be a cause of dementia, it also could be sharpening the mind. University of California-San Diego researchers presented a study to the Society for Neuroscience earlier this year showing that smoking cigarettes sharpens short-term learning and memory among young people.

[32] Researchers in the study, however, cautioned that such benefits don't out-weigh the risks of more serious ailments.
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吸烟有好处吗?

[28]尽管有关吸烟带来疾病的资料让人不可小视，但是研究还表明了吸烟会给人带来一些偶然的益处。纽约厄普顿的布鲁克黑文国家实验室的研究人员报告说：卷烟烟雾中的某种物质减少了一种酶--也就是人们所知的单胺氧化酶B的含量。

[29]这正好和多巴胺的增加发生了巧合，多年来，多巴胺被认为是使人感受到尼古丁所带来的部分快感的大脑化学物质。

[30]研究人员说，也许烟民患帕金森病的危险性较小，因为这种神经系统的疾病就是因为缺乏多巴胺而加重的。

[31]吸烟可能会引发痴呆病，但也有可能使人思维敏捷。年初，加州大学圣迭戈分校的研究人员向神经科学协会提交了一份报告，报告表明吸烟会提高年轻人的短期学习效率和记忆力。

[32]然而，研究人员在报告中提醒说，相对于患更严重疾病的危险来说，这些益处简直微不足道。