A portion of fries should only contain six, a Harvard professor has declared - sparking veritable outrage.

哈佛大学一位教授表示，一份薯条应该只有6根——这确实让人们感到生气。

Both crunchy and soft, coated in salty oil, little fried sticks of potato have been a source of joy for humankind since the 1700s, when (it’s believed) they were first invented.

小小的油炸薯条口感外脆内软，外面有少许盐，（据信）自18世纪初被发明以来，它一直是人们的快乐源泉。

For most, six fries is just the beginning.

对大多数人而言，吃6根薯条仅仅只是美餐一顿的开始。

But Professor Eric Rimm, of Harvard University’s nutrition department, says they are ’starch bombs’ and half a dozen should be our limit. After that we should sate our appetite with salad if we want to avoid life-threatening heart conditions.

但哈佛大学营养系的埃里克·里姆教授说，它们是“淀粉炸弹”，一次最多只应该吃6根。如果我们想要避免危及生命的心脏疾病，随后应吃沙拉来满足食欲。

Dr Rimm’s comments, in an article for the New York Times this week, prompted predictable furor online, but the medical community warns he has a good point.

在《纽约时报》刊登的一篇文章中，里姆博士的这些观点不出意料地引发了网友热议，但医学界警告说，他的话很有道理。

Heart disease rates are rising, and progress to prevent heart disease deaths has slowed.

如今，心脏病发病率不断上升，而预防心脏病死亡的进展已经放缓。

Why? Our penchant for fatty, greasy, salty, sugary food - in monumentally vast proportions - and distaste for exercise.

为何？部分原因是人们偏爱高脂、高油、高盐和高糖的食物，并且大量地摄入这些食物。但人们又不喜欢锻炼。

In the last 25 years, the average serving size in any given establishment has doubled or tripled. Bagels are now six inches wide, not three; a medium bag of popcorn is 11 cups, not five; and a soda is 20 ounces not 6.5.

过去25年来，所有餐厅的食物分量都增加了一倍或两倍。现在，面包圈有六英寸宽，而不是三英寸，一袋中等大小的爆米花是11杯，不是5杯，一杯碳酸饮料是20盎司，而不是6.5盎司。

A serving of fries is meant to be capped at around 15. These days, most restaurants serve around 55.

一份薯条本来最多应该只有大约15根，如今大多数餐厅都会给55根左右。

Dr Rimm’s advice is partly based on a recent study in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition by Italian researchers, who found people who avoided fries altogether lived six months longer than those who indulged.

里姆博士的建议部分是基于意大利研究人员最近在《美国临床营养学杂志》上发表的一项研究。该研究发现，完全不吃薯条的人比那些特别爱吃薯条的人多活6个月。

People who ate fries two or three times a week had (unsurprisingly) higher risks of diabetes, obesity and cardiovascular disease.

每周吃两三次薯条的人患糖尿病、肥胖症和心血管疾病的风险更高(这是意料之中的)。

For most Americans, Dr Rimm laments, taking away their fries is no easy feat.

里姆博士感叹道，对于大多数美国人来说，拿走他们的薯条可不是件容易的事。

And true to form, the reaction to the New York Times article was lively.

一如往常，人们对《纽约时报》这篇文章的反应十分热烈。

What kind of MAD MAN would want six french [sic] fries? I get it, they are bad for you, but eating SIX sounds like torture,’ one person tweeted, adding: ’I’d rather not have them at all. But we all know that’s not going to happen.’

一名网友写道：“有哪个疯子会只想要6根薯条？道理我都懂，它们对你没好处，但只吃6根听起来像是虐待。”他还说，“我宁愿不吃都行，但我知道我做不到。”