More than half of all women are concerned about excess body hair, according to a report published by market research company Mintel last month. In the online survey of more than 2,000 women, excess hair was rated just behind weight gain for body dissatisfaction.

根據市場調查公司明特爾上個月公布的調查顯示，超過一半的女性擔心體毛過多的問題。在網上對2000多名女性進行的問卷表明，就身體不滿度而言，毛發過多是僅次于肥胖之外的第二大問題。

It’s estimated that one in ten of us suffers from excess facial and body hair. But what causes it?

據統計，10個人中就有1個人承受著面部和身體毛發過多的困擾。那么，是什么原因導致我們毛發過多呢？

Sometimes race or just a family tendency to be more hairy is to blame, rather than any medical problem. People of South Asian or Mediterranean descent tend to have more hair than Caucasians or those with black skin, for example.

有時候，人種或者家族遺傳就是導致毛發過多的罪魁禍首，而不是什么疾病。舉例來說，南亞人或者地中海人種的毛發就比高加索人種或黑人的毛發更多。

But there are other factors that could be to blame. Eating large amounts of sugary, refined carbohydrates, such as biscuits and cakes, may trigger excess hair. These foods have a high glycemic index, which means they release their energy quickly and can cause insulin resistance.

但也有其他的原因導致毛發過多。食用大量的糖類食物、精制的碳水化合物，比如餅干、蛋糕，就會誘發毛發增多的問題。這些食物的升糖指數極高，會快速釋放出大量能量，導致胰島素抵抗力降低。

Insulin is the hormone that controls blood sugar level; ‘resistance’ means the hormone becomes less effective at lowering blood sugar, so the body has to produce more of it to get the job done.

胰島素是控制血糖水平的激素。胰島素抵抗力降低的意思指的是，胰島素在血糖水平低的情況下，其作用也會降低。因此，人體就需要分泌更多的胰島素來完成身體機能的正常運作。

“The problem is that a raised insulin level may trigger growth factors which make the ovaries produce too much of the “male” hormone testosterone, which can lead to excess hair,” adds Marilyn Glenville, a women’s health expert and nutritionist. “Being overweight can also cause insulin resistance.”

女性健康專家、營養學家瑪麗蓮-格倫維爾表示，“胰島素水平升高會誘使女性卵巢分泌出過量的男性激素睪丸素，這就會使得毛發增多。同時，超重也會導致胰島素抵抗力降低。”