營養均衡的飲食有利于健康，這個道理大家都懂，但還是有些人只吃自己喜歡的食物，嚴重挑食。最近英國一名少年由于常年只吃薯條、薯片和其他垃圾食品，最終導致雙目失明。這給挑食的人們提了個醒。

Experts are warning about the risks of extreme fussy eating after a teenager developed permanent sight loss after living on a diet of chips and crisps.

英國一名少年常年只吃薯條和薯片，最終導致永久性失明。專家近日以此警告人們極度挑食的風險。

Eye doctors in Bristol cared for the 17-year-old after his vision had deteriorated to the point of blindness.

這名17歲的男孩幾近失明，布里斯托爾的眼科醫生對他進行了治療。

Since leaving primary school, the teen had been eating only French fries, Pringles and white bread, as well as an occasional slice of ham or a sausage.

從小學畢業以來，這名男孩只吃薯條、品客薯片和白面包，偶爾還吃一片火腿或香腸。

Tests revealed he had severe vitamin deficiencies and malnutrition damage.

檢查顯示他有嚴重的維生素缺乏和營養不良。

malnutrition [m?lnj?'tr??(?)n]：n.營養失調，營養不良

極其挑食

The adolescent, who cannot be named, had seen his GP at the age of 14 because he had been feeling tired and unwell. At that time he was diagnosed with vitamin B12 deficiency and put on supplements, but he did not stick with the treatment or improve his poor diet.

這名不愿透露姓名的青少年14歲時就去看了全科醫生，因為他一直感到疲倦和不適。當時，他被診斷出缺乏維生素B12，醫生給他開了維生素B12補充劑，但他沒有堅持服用，也沒有改善不良飲食習慣。

Three years later, he was taken to the Bristol Eye Hospital because of progressive sight loss, Annals of Internal Medicine journal reports.

據《內科醫學年鑒》期刊報道，三年后，他因逐漸失明被送往布里斯托爾眼科醫院。

Dr Denize Atan, who treated him at the hospital, said: "His diet was essentially a portion of chips from the local fish and chip shop every day. He also used to snack on crisps - Pringles - and sometimes slices of white bread and occasional slices of ham, and not really any fruit and vegetables.

他的主治醫師丹妮澤?阿坦說：“他每天從當地炸魚薯條店買一些薯條，就吃這些。他還經常吃薯片（品客薯片），有時吃幾片白面包，偶爾吃幾片火腿，不吃任何水果和蔬菜?！?/p>

"He explained this as an aversion to certain textures of food that he really could not tolerate, and so chips and crisps were really the only types of food that he wanted and felt that he could eat."

“他解釋說，這是因為有些食材他無法忍受，討厭吃那些，所以薯條和薯片是他唯一想吃的食物，他覺得自己可以吃?！?/p>

aversion [?'v???(?)n]：n.厭惡

Dr Atan and her colleagues rechecked the young man's vitamin levels and found he was low in B12 as well as some other important vitamins and minerals - copper, selenium and vitamin D.

阿坦醫生和同事重新檢查了這名年輕人體內的維生素水平，發現他體內的維生素B12以及其他一些重要的維生素和礦物質——銅、硒和維生素D含量都很低。

驚人的發現

He was not over or underweight, but was severely malnourished from his eating disorder - avoidant-restrictive food intake disorder.

他并沒有超重或體重過輕，但是由于避免—限制型飲食失調而嚴重營養不良。

"He had lost minerals from his bone, which was really quite shocking for a boy of his age."

“他骨質中的礦物質流失了，這對他這個年齡的男孩來說真的很讓人震驚。”

He was put on vitamin supplements and referred to a dietitian and a specialist mental health team.

醫生給他開了維生素補充劑，并將他轉給營養師和專業的心理健康團隊繼續治療。

In terms of his sight loss, he met the criteria for being registered blind.

他的視力損失已符合盲人登記標準。

"He had blind spots right in the middle of his vision," said Dr Atan. "That means he can't drive and would find it really difficult to read, watch TV or discern faces.

阿坦醫生說：“他的視力正中間有盲點，這意味著他不能開車，而且閱讀、看電視或辨認人臉會很難。”

"He can walk around on his own though because he has got peripheral vision."

“但他可以自己走路，因為他的周邊視覺沒有喪失。

peripheral [p?'r?f(?)r(?)l]：adj.外圍的；次要的；（神經）末梢區域的

Nutritional optic neuropathy - the condition the young man has - is treatable if diagnosed early. Left too long, however, the nerve fibres in the optic nerve die and the damage becomes permanent.

這名年輕人的病癥是營養視神經病變，如果早期確診是可以治療的。然而，如果發病太久，視神經中的神經纖維就會死亡，就會造成永久性損傷。

Dr Atan said cases like this are thankfully uncommon, but that parents should be aware of the potential harm that can be caused by picky eating, and seek expert help.

阿坦醫生說，幸運的是，這種情況并不常見，但家長們應該意識到挑食可能帶來的潛在危害，并尋求專家幫助。

For those who are concerned, she advised: "It's best not to be anxious about picky eating, and instead calmly introduce one or two new foods with every meal."

對于那些擔心這一問題的人，她建議:“最好不要對挑食感到焦慮，而是冷靜地給每餐加入一兩種新食物。”

She said multivitamin tablets can supplement a diet, but are not a substitute for eating healthily.

她說，復合維生素片可以作為飲食的補充，但不能代替健康飲食。

"It's much better to take on vitamins through a varied and balanced diet," she said, adding that too much of certain vitamins, including vitamin A, can be toxic, "so you don't want to overdo it".

“通過多樣化和均衡的飲食攝入維生素要好得多，”她還補充說，某些維生素過量攝入是有毒的，包括維生素A，“所以不能過量攝入”。

Dr Atan said vegans are also at increased risk of B12 deficiency-related sight problems if they do not replace what they can lack when excluding meat from their diet.

阿坦醫生說，如果素食者不補充飲食中所缺乏的東西，那么他們患維生素B12缺乏引起的視力問題的風險也會增加。

"Nutritional yeast is a way of adding B12 to your diet," she said.

她說：“營養酵母是在飲食中添加維生素B12的一種方式?！?/p>

Sources of vitamin B12 for vegans include:

對純素食者來說，維生素B12的來源包括：

breakfast cereals fortified with B12

富含維生素B12的谷物早餐

unsweetened soya drinks fortified with vitamin B12

富含維生素B12的無糖大豆飲料

yeast extract, such as Marmite, which is fortified with vitamin B12

富含維生素B12的酵母提取物，如馬麥醬

Rebecca McManamon, consultant dietitian and spokesperson for the British Dietetic Association, said restricted diets might happen for a range of reasons, including eating disorders, allergies and autism, and need specialist assessment.

英國飲食協會發言人、營養顧問麗貝卡?麥克馬納蒙表示，限制飲食可能有一系列原因，包括飲食失調、過敏和自閉癥，需要專家評估。

"It's also worth noting that since 2016 the UK government has recommended daily Vitamin D supplementation (10 microgrammes/400 International Units) for everyone between October and March as we are not likely to get enough from fortified foods.

“值得注意的是，自2016年以來，英國政府建議所有人在十月到次年三月之間每天補充維生素D，劑量為每日10微克（400國際單位），因為我們不太可能從強化食品中獲得足夠的維生素D?！?/p>

"Multivitamin supplementation is recommended for all children up to their fifth birthday."

“建議所有5歲以下的兒童補充多種維生素?！?/p>

英文來源：BBC

翻譯&編輯：yaning