養一隻胖狗可能會令你更健康

The chubby, inert pet dog has become a familiar household sight in richer countries. And yet there lies a possible boon to the out-of-shape among us. A recent study suggests that being told one’s pet is dangerously overweight might provide the impetus that gets an owner moving.

胖乎乎、慢吞吞的寵物狗已經成爲富裕國家常見的家庭景象。但是對我們中間身材走樣的人來說，這可能是一種福利。最近的一項研究表明，告訴主人他/她的寵物太胖、存在健康風險，可能會給他/她提供鍛鍊動力。

It might seem that having a pet dog would result in considerable physical activity, and that’s true, broadly speaking. A 2013 review of studies related to dog ownership concluded that as a group, dog owners spend almost an hour more per week walking than people without dogs. Even so, a survey from 2008 conducted in Australia found that nearly a quarter of all dog owners reported never walking their pets. This population of dog owners, studies show, actually engage in less physical activity each week than people without a dog.

養個寵物狗似乎會增加很多運動量。一般來說的確是這樣的。2013年與養狗相關的研究表明，總體來說，養狗的人每週比不養狗的人幾乎多走一個小時。即便如此，2008年澳大利亞的一項調查發現，將近1/4的狗主人說他們幾乎從不遛狗。研究表明，這部分養狗的人每週的運動量實際上比不養狗的人還少。

A majority of dog owners, of course, are deeply attached to their pets, whether they walk them or not. That bond prompted a group of scientists, veterinarians and physicians at the Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences, in Bethesda, Md., and other institutions to consider whether people might be willing to undertake ahealth-and-fitness regimen targeted at their dog, even if they had little enthusiasm for such a program for themselves.

當然，不管遛不遛狗，大部分狗主人都非常喜愛自己的寵物。這種情感聯繫促使馬里蘭州貝塞斯達健康科學統一服務大學(Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences)等機構的一羣科學家、獸醫和醫生們開始考慮人們是否願意採取針對小狗的健康健身生活方式——儘管他們對針對自己的這種項目沒什麼興趣。

The researchers recruited 32 dog owners who visited a veterinary clinic in Maryland. Their dogs varied widely in age, breed and size, but all were overweight or obese and, by and large, sedentary. So, too, were most of their owners (although the only criterion for their participation was that their dogs be rotund). Half the volunteers were told by a veterinarian to watch their dog’s nutrition and monitor its health. The rest were told that their dog was overweight and needed more exercise. These owners were given specific exercise prescriptions, which generally advised walking the dog for at least 30 minutes every day.

研究者們在馬里蘭州的一個獸醫診所徵募了32名狗主人。他們的狗在年齡、品種和體型上各不相同，但都超重或過度肥胖，並且總的來說坐得太多。它們的主人大多也是這樣（雖然唯一的參與標準是他們的狗超重）。獸醫讓其中一半志願者關注狗的營養，留意它們的健康狀況；對另一半志願者說他們的狗超重，需要更多鍛鍊——獸醫給這些主人提供了具體的鍛鍊計劃，總的來說是建議每天至少遛狗30分鐘。

Three months later, the volunteers and their dogs were re-evaluated. Both owners and pets in the dog-walking group had lost weight. But more interesting, those who hadbeen told only that their pets were worryingly heavy also began exercising their pets and themselves. They reported walking far more often than they did before theygot health warnings for their dogs, and both they and their pets were thinner.

三個月後，研究者重新評估志願者和他們的狗。遛狗那組的主人和寵物們都瘦了一些。不過更有意思的是，那些僅被告知寵物胖得令人擔憂的主人們也開始和寵物們一起運動了。他們說，與被警告狗存在健康隱患前相比，他們走路要頻繁得多，他們和寵物都瘦了一些。

The upshot, says Capt. Mark B. Stephens M.D., a professor of family medicine at Uniformed Services University and a co-author of the study — it was published in September in the journal Anthrozoös — is that “love and concern for a dog can be a powerful motivation for exercise.” Which is not to say, he adds, that people should adopt a dog as a kind of fitness device. Unlike a treadmill, Marley cannot be abandoned in the basement when you tire of working out. On the other hand, no device will ever be so happy to see you lace up your walking shoes.

這項研究9月份發表在《人與動物》(Anthrozoös)雜誌上。美國軍隊衛生服務大學(Uniformed Services University)的醫學博士、家庭醫學教授馬克·B·斯蒂芬斯上尉(Mark hens)是這項研究的合著者。他說，重點在於，“對狗的熱愛和關心可以成爲強大的鍛鍊動力。”他補充說，這並不是說，人們應該把養狗作爲一種健身手段。你不能在厭倦鍛鍊時把小狗馬利(Marley)像跑步機一樣丟到地下室裏。不過，從另一方面講，沒有哪個健身器材會在看見你穿上步行鞋後如此高興。