美国国家公共电台 NPR Coffee Drinkers Are More Likely To Live Longer. Decaf May Do The Trick, Too

 

ARI SHAPIRO, HOST:

Coffee may be more than just a daily pick-me-up. A new study published today in JAMA Internal Medicine adds to the evidence that coffee drinkers tend to live a little longer. And it doesn't seem to matter if you drink regular or decaf. NPR's Allison Aubrey tells us more.

ALLISON AUBREY, BYLINE¹: It wasn't too long ago that coffee was considered a vice². Christopher Gardner directs nutrition studies at the Stanford Prevention Research Center. He says the bad rap goes back to a time when people who drank coffee were also very likely to smoke. So when early studies showed coffee was associated with health risks, researchers were thrown off until they separated the two habits.

CHRISTOPHER GARDNER: The smoking was the cause of the association. And ever since they disentangled smoking, coffee wasn't just null. It was beneficial, which was kind of funny because it flipped³ it on its head.

AUBREY: In recent years, the evidence has been piling up. Lots of research now suggests that there are health benefits to a daily coffee habit. The latest comes from a study of a half million people who were in their late 30s through their early 70s. Researchers tracked their coffee consumption and their health over a 10-year period. Erikka Loftfield of the National Cancer Institute is a study author.

ERIKKA LOFTFIELD: We found that people who drank two to three cups per day had about a 12 percent lower risk of death compared to non-coffee drinkers.

AUBREY: And drinking more than three cups was tied to an even slightly lower risk of death during the 10-year study. This was true of all coffee drinkers, even those who were determined⁴ to be slow metabolizers of caffeine. These are people who tend to be more sensitive to caffeine. And it held up among people who drank decaffeinated too.

LOFTFIELD: And this may suggest that it's non-caffeine components⁵ in coffee...

AUBREY: ...That could be driving a benefit. Now, this study does not prove that coffee extends life. So researchers want to better understand why they keep seeing this association. Stanford's Christopher Gardner says coffee beans are loaded with interesting compounds.

GARDNER: Coffee, with its thousand chemicals, includes a number of polyphenol-like, antioxidant-rich compounds.

AUBREY: Some of coffee's bioactive compounds have anti-inflammatory properties too. But Gardner says figuring out how they work together to produce a benefit is complicated. So he's got another theory about what may help explain coffee's ties to longevity⁶ - coffee can bring people joy.

GARDNER: Think about when you're drinking coffee. Aren't you stopping and relaxing for a little bit, for the most part?

AUBREY: He says he can't imagine life without it.

GARDNER: Oh, I have three to five cups a day. I just love holding that hot beverage⁷ in my hand. It's a morning ritual. (Laughter) And I'd love to encourage people to stop and take a moment.

AUBREY: Gardner says he does have one suggestion for new coffee drinkers - learn to love it without all the frills, things like...

GARDNER: Whipped cream, sugar, chocolate sprinkles and caramel.

AUBREY: He says you don't need all that sugar. The earliest studies of coffee drinkers reflect a time when many people drank it black. Allison Aubrey, NPR News.

1 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

2 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

3 flipped   

轻弹( flip的过去式和过去分词 )； 按（开关）； 快速翻转； 急挥

参考例句：

• The plane flipped and crashed. 飞机猛地翻转，撞毁了。
• The carter flipped at the horse with his whip. 赶大车的人扬鞭朝着马轻轻地抽打。

4 determined   

adj.坚定的；有决心的

参考例句：

• I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
• He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。

5 components   

（机器、设备等的）构成要素，零件，成分； 成分( component的名词复数 )； [物理化学]组分； [数学]分量； （混合物的）组成部分

参考例句：

• the components of a machine 机器部件
• Our chemistry teacher often reduces a compound to its components in lab. 在实验室中化学老师常把化合物分解为各种成分。

6 longevity   

n.长命；长寿

参考例句：

• Good habits promote longevity.良好的习惯能增长寿命。
• Human longevity runs in families.人类的长寿具有家族遗传性。

7 beverage   

n.(水，酒等之外的)饮料

参考例句：

• The beverage is often colored with caramel.这种饮料常用焦糖染色。
• Beer is a beverage of the remotest time.啤酒是一种最古老的饮料。