It's one of the most taboo subjects there is to discuss.
這里討論的是人人都忌諱的話題。

But one scientist has hauled poo in the limelight - and now everyone's talking about it.
但是，一位科學家將有關便便的話題拉到了公眾視野，現在人人都在談論它。

Giulia Enders, a German microbiologist, claims that people in Western countries are emptying their bowels in totally the wrong way - and instead of sitting on the loo, we should be squatting.
德國微生物學家茱莉亞?恩德斯稱，西方國家的人們大便的方式完全錯誤---大便時不應坐著而應蹲著。

Her book, Charming Bowels, which has topped the charts in her native country for several weeks, explores a number of gut health issues, from constipation to bacteria.
她的《美麗的腸道（Charming Bowels）》一書在德國已經連續幾周登頂暢銷書榜首，書中探究了便秘和細菌等一系列腸道健康問題。

The overall message is that the gastrointestinal tract is 'the brain's most important adviser', affecting everything from mental to digestive health.
整本書主要傳遞的信息是，胃腸道是“大腦最重要的顧問”，它影響人的精神和消化道的健康。

?But there are also practical gems, such as how to poo properly.
除此之外，書中還探究了一些實用性的問題，比如，如何正確地大便。

Sitting is in fact all wrong, and actually prolongs the process, explains Ms Enders, who is studying in Frankfurt for her medical doctorate in microbiology.
“事實上，坐便是完全錯誤的方式，它實際上延長了大便的時間，”在法蘭克福攻讀微生物學博士學位的恩格斯解釋道。

It may also explain why haemorrhoids (piles) and painful bowel diseases such as diverticulitis are more common in the West than in Asia, she adds.
她補充說，這也就可以解釋為何在西方國家患腸道疾病（比如，憩室炎）以及痔瘡的人比亞洲國家多。

She said: '1.2 billion people around the world who squat have almost no incidence of diverticulitis and fewer problems with piles.
她說：“全球12億蹲便的人中幾乎沒有人患憩室炎并且也很少有人長痔瘡。

'We in the West, on the other hand, squeeze our gut tissue until it comes out of our bottoms.'
“然而，我們西方人坐著擠壓腸道組織，直到大便排出。”

Instead, the correct way is to squat.
其實，蹲便反而是正確的方式。

Although you can climb on your toilet seat and squat, the kink can also be ironed out by sitting with your feet on a little stool and leaning forward.
你可以爬上你家的馬桶圈上蹲著，不過也可以坐在馬桶上，然后給腳下墊一個小凳子，同時保持身體前傾，用這種方式實現蹲便。

Ms Enders adds there is a wealth of research that shows squatting is a more effective way to evacuate the bowels.
恩德斯表示，有大量研究表明蹲便是一種更加有效的排便方式。

This is because the closure mechanism of the gut is not designed to 'open the hatch completely' when we’re sitting down or standing up: it’s like a kinked hose.
之所以會這樣，是因為在我們坐著或站著時，腸道的關閉機制不會“完全開放腸口”，就像一根打了結的軟管。

She explained: 'When you sit or stand, there's a muscle that goes around the end of the colon and it pulls, so there's a curve.
她解釋道：“在你坐著或站著時，有股力量會游走在結腸的末端，并且產生拉力，最后在結腸末尾會形成一個彎。”

'When we're in a squatting position, and have a little stool in front of the toilet, then the angle is even and straight, so there's less pressure needed.'
“而在我們采取蹲姿，或在馬桶前放一個小凳子，雙腳踩在凳子上時，腸道的角度就會變平、變直，排便時所需的力就少了。”

'Squatting is far more natural and puts less pressure on our bottoms.'
蹲便是更加自然的姿勢，而且對我們的排便器官造成的壓力也更小。

Some experts claim we all used to squat - until the middle of the 19th century - and the demise of squatting is to blame for soaring rates of bowel and digestive issues.
一些專家說我們人類過去常常是蹲便的，直到19世紀中期才發生變化，腸道和消化問題的劇增都是因為蹲便的消亡。

As US-based doctor Joseph Mercola writes on his webpage: 'Infants instinctively squat to defecate, as does the majority of the world's population.
美國醫生約瑟夫?麥克拉在他的網頁上寫到：“嬰兒本能地蹲著排便，世界上大多數人也是蹲便。”

'But somehow the West was convinced that sitting is more civilized.'
“但是，不知怎么回事，在西方，人們認為坐便更文明。”

Vocabulary：

haul: 用力拉到某處
loo: 廁所，洗手間
constipation: 便秘
gastrointestinal: 胃腸的
haemorrhoids: 痔瘡
diverticulitis: 憩室炎
kink: （頭發、繩索等）扭結
colon：結腸

（翻譯：燕子雙飛 編輯：馬文英）