Keeping a busy social life amongst lots of friends may keep people slimmer than spending hours on a treadmill, according to scientists.
科学家研究发现，与在跑步机上锻炼几个小时相比，跟朋友一起参加社交活动更有利于保持苗条身材。

They say that socialising and meeting with friends helps boost levels of 'brown fat' in the body which burns calories to generate heat.
研究人员表示，社交活动和朋友聚会能帮助提高体内“棕色脂肪”的含量，这种脂肪可以燃烧卡路里，产生热量。

Living in a stimulating, social environment was found to reduce abdominal fat in mice by half over four weeks, even if they ate more.
据发现，在兴奋的社交环境中生活的老鼠，四周后腹部脂肪减半，即使它们的食量增大。

US researchers say that social stimulation aids weight loss by converting white fat into brown.
美国研究者认为，社交兴奋感可以把“白色脂肪”转化为“棕色脂肪”，从而有助于减肥。

White stores calories and makes us fatter, while brown burns energy to generate heat.
“白色脂肪”储存卡路里，使人们长胖，而“棕色脂肪”能够燃烧能量，产生热量。

Converting white fat into brown is notoriously difficult, normally requiring long term exposure to cold conditions or activating part of the body's nervous system.
“白色脂肪”转化为“棕色脂肪”出奇困难，通常需要长期暴露在寒冷的环境中，或者激活人体部分神经紧张系统。

However, scientists from Ohio State University now think that having a busy social life is an even more effective way of changing white fat into brown.
但俄亥俄州立大学的科学家认为，繁忙的社交生活能更有效地促使“白色脂肪”转化为“棕色脂肪”。

The team came up with their theory by studying the effects of various living environments on mice.
研究小组通过研究不同的生活环境对小鼠的影响得出了这一理论。

Those who lived alongside a greater number of mice, had more space and toys to stimulate them lost far more weight over the course of the study than their 'couch potato' counterparts.
在研究期间，和那些总是呆着不动的小鼠相比，有更多伙伴、更大空间和更多玩具的实验鼠减肥效果更明显。

Study author Dr Matthew During, whose team's findings appear in journal Cell Metabolism said: I'm still amazed at the degree of fat loss that occurs.
研究报告作者马修迪兰博士说：“能减掉这么多体重，我还是很吃惊。”研究报告发表在《细胞 代谢》期刊上。

Explaining how new technology had threatened face-to-face socialising, he added: 'It's not just a sedentary lifestyle and high calorie foods, but an increasing lack of social engagement.'
在解释新科技如何威胁到面对面的社交活动时，他补充说：“这不仅会导致人们更喜欢坐着不动，吃更多高卡路里食品，而且会使人们越来越疏于社交。”

Co-author Dr Lei Cao said: 'Loneliness is a profound factor for cancer and death; it's on par with cigarette smoking. Social engagement is very important.'
合著者曹磊（音）博士说：“孤独是导致癌症和死亡的深层因素，相当于吸烟。参加社交非常重要。”

Vocabulary:
treadmill: 跑步机，踏车，也可以用来指单调乏味的工作，令人厌倦的工作

couch potato: 是指长时间呆在沙发上看电视的一类人，电视迷，也称为“沙发土豆”

sedentary: accustomed to sitting or to taking little exercise（久坐的，坐惯的）

on par with: at the same level as someone or something（不相上下，不逊于）