茶或咖啡：哪个更适合你？

 　　Countless¹ arguments have been waged over the superiority of one beverage² over the other. But what does the scientific evidence say?

　　关于这两种饮料孰优孰劣的问题已经引发了无数争论。但是科学证据是怎样的呢？

　　George Orwell may have written that “tea is one of the mainstays of civilization in this country” – but even we British have to acknowledge that our national drink is facing stiff competition from the espressos, cappuccinos, and lattes invading our shores.

　　乔治·奥威尔或许写过“茶是这个国家文明的一个支柱”这样的句子——但我们英国人也要承认，随着浓咖啡、卡布奇诺和拿铁侵入国门，我们的全民饮料正面临着激烈的竞争。

　　Despite the dangers of wading³ into such a charged argument, BBC Future decided⁴ to weigh up the relative merits of each drink. There’s no accounting⁵ for taste, of course, but we have combed the scientific literature for their real, measurable effects on our body and mind.

　　尽管探讨这个敏感话题充满风险，“BBC未来”栏目还是决定对每种饮品的相对优点进行评估。当然，百人百味，但通过精心梳理科学文献，我们找出了它们对人体和大脑真实的、可测量的影响。

　　茶或咖啡：哪个更适合你？

　　The wake-up call

　　醒脑剂

　　For many, the caffeine kick is the primary reason we choose either beverage; it’s the oil to our engines when we’re still feeling a bit creaky in the morning. Based purely⁶ on its composition, coffee should win hands down: a cup of tea has about half the dose (40 milligrams) of the stimulant⁷ caffeine that you would find in a standard cup of brewed⁸ filter coffee (80 to 115 milligrams). Yet this doesn’t necessarily reflect the jolt⁹ of the wake-up call.

　　对许多人来说，咖啡因的兴奋作用是我们选择这两种饮料的主要原因；在睡眼惺忪的清晨，咖啡因就像石油一样，给我们身体的引擎以能量。只考虑成分的话，咖啡可以轻松获胜：一杯茶的咖啡因含量（40毫克）大约只有标准杯过滤咖啡（80至115毫克）的一半。然而，这并非反映了它们的醒脑作用。

　　Dosing subjects with either tea or coffee, one study found that both beverages¹⁰ left subjects feeling similarly alert later in the morning.

　　通过让被试者饮用一定量的茶或咖啡，一项研究发现，这两种饮料都能让受试者在早晨晚些时候感到同样清醒。

　　Verdict: Against logic¹¹, tea seems to provide just as powerful a wake-up call as coffee. It’s a draw.

　　结论：虽然逻辑上讲不通，但茶跟咖啡的醒脑作用似乎不相上下。平局。

　　Sleep quality

　　睡眠质量

　　The biggest differences between coffee and tea may emerge once your head hits the pillow.

　　咖啡和茶之间最大的差异或许将集中体现在睡眠上。

　　Comparing people drinking the same volume of tea or coffee over a single day, researchers at the University of Surrey in the UK confirmed that although both drinks lend similar benefits to your attention during the day, coffee drinkers tend to find it harder to drop off at night – perhaps because the higher caffeine content finally catches up with you.

　　通过对比研究每天饮用等量的茶或咖啡的人，英国萨里大学的研究人员证实，尽管两种饮料在白天对注意力集中的作用差不多，但或许是因为咖啡里的咖啡因含量更高，喝咖啡的人晚上更难入睡。

　　Tea drinkers, in contrast, had longer and more restful slumbers¹².

　　相比之下，喝茶的人睡得更久更香。

　　Verdict: Tea offers many of the benefits of coffee, without the sleepless¹³ nights – a clear win.

　　结论：茶不仅拥有咖啡的许多好处，还不会带来不眠之夜——完胜Tooth staining

　　牙齿变黄

　　Along with red wine, coffee and tea are both known to turn our pearly whites a murky¹⁴ yellow and brown. But which is worse?

　　众所周知，红酒、咖啡和茶都会把洁白的牙齿慢慢染成暗黄色或棕褐色。但哪个最糟糕？

　　Most dentists seem to agree that tea’s natural pigments¹⁵ are more likely to adhere to dental enamel¹⁶ than coffee’s – particularly if you use a mouthwash containing the common antiseptic chlorhexidine, which seems to attract and bind¹⁷ to the microscopic¹⁸ particles.

　　大多数牙医似乎一致认为，茶中的天然色素比咖啡的更易附着于牙釉质之上——尤其当你使用常见的洗必泰漱口水时，其中的消毒洗必泰能吸引并聚合微观粒子。

　　Verdict: If you want a perfect smile, coffee may be the lesser¹⁹ of two evils.

　　结论：如果你想展现完美笑容，两害相权取其轻，咖啡也许还好一点。

　　A balm for troubled souls…

　　不安灵魂的慰藉……

　　In England, it’s common to give “tea and sympathy” to a distressed²⁰ friend – the idea being that a cup of Earl Grey is medicine for troubled minds. In fact, there is some evidence that tea can soothe²¹ your nerves: regular tea drinkers do tend to show a calmer physiological²² response to unsettling situations (such as public speaking), compared to people drinking herbal infusions²³. Overall, people who drink three cups a day appear to have a 37% lower risk of depression than those who do not drink tea.

　　英国人喜欢给烦恼苦闷的朋友送去“茶与同情”——这是由于他们认为伯爵茶能够治愈不安的灵魂。事实上，有证据表明，茶可以舒缓神经：与喝中草药的人相比，经常饮茶者在处理一些令人不安的情况（如公开演讲）时确实表现得更为镇静。总的来说，每天喝三杯茶的人比不喝茶的人罹患抑郁症的风险要低37%。

　　Coffee doesn’t have the same reputation; indeed, some report that it makes them feel like their nerves are jangling. Yet there is some evidence that it too may protect against long-term mental health problems. A recent “meta-analysis” (summarising the results of studies involving more than 300,000 participants) found that each cup of coffee a day seems to reduce your risk of developing depression by around 8%. In contrast, other beverages (such as sweetened soft drinks) only increase your risk of developing mental health problems.

　　咖啡并没有这种功效；事实上，有些人觉得咖啡会让人有些神经错乱。但是也有证据表明，咖啡能预防长期精神问题。最近的一项“荟萃分析”（总结了超过30万名参与者的研究结果）发现，每天一杯咖啡的人患抑郁症的风险比常人要低大约8%。相比之下，其他饮料（如甜味软饮）只会增加患精神疾病的风险。

　　Verdict: Based on this limited evidence, it’s a draw.

　　结论：基于有限的证据，平局。

　　…and a balm for bodies……

　　身体的万金油

　　Similarly tantalising, though preliminary, epidemiological studies have suggested that both coffee and tea offer many other health-giving benefits. A few cups of either beverage a day appears to reduce your risk of diabetes²⁴, for instance.

　　流行病学研究虽然才刚刚起步，但也很吸睛。该领域研究表明，咖啡和茶都对身体还有其它益处。例如，每天喝几杯会降低患糖尿病的风险。

　　Both drinks also seem to moderately protect the heart, although the evidence seems to be slightly stronger for coffee, while tea also appears to be slightly protective against developing a range of cancers – perhaps because of its antioxidants.

　　饮用这两种饮料能对心脏起到一定的保护作用，尽管证据显示似乎咖啡的功效更强，但许是因为茶中的抗氧化剂，茶对预防癌症也有些许功效。

　　Verdict: Another draw – both drinks are a surprising, health-giving elixir²⁵.

　　结论：还是平局——这两种饮料都是神奇的、有益健康的灵丹妙药。

　　Overall verdict: Much as we Brits would have liked tea to come out the clear victor, we have to admit there is little between the two drinks besides personal taste. Based solely²⁶ on the fact that it allows you to get a better night’s sleep, we declare tea the winner.

　　总结：大部分英国人都会觉得茶很明显更胜一筹。但除了个人口味，必须承认的是两者的差异并不大。仅仅基于能让人好眠这一点，茶无疑是赢家。

　　Vocabulary

　　pigment: 色素

　　dental enamel: 牙釉质

　　antioxidant: 抗氧化剂

　　elixir: 万能药

 

1 countless   

adj.无数的，多得不计其数的

参考例句：

• In the war countless innocent people lost their lives.在这场战争中无数无辜的人丧失了性命。
• I've told you countless times.我已经告诉你无数遍了。

2 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。

3 wading   

（从水、泥等）蹚，走过，跋( wade的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The man tucked up his trousers for wading. 那人卷起裤子，准备涉水。
• The children were wading in the sea. 孩子们在海水中走着。

4 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

5 accounting   

n.会计，会计学，借贷对照表

参考例句：

• A job fell vacant in the accounting department.财会部出现了一个空缺。
• There's an accounting error in this entry.这笔账目里有差错。

6 purely   

adv.纯粹地，完全地

参考例句：

• I helped him purely and simply out of friendship.我帮他纯粹是出于友情。
• This disproves the theory that children are purely imitative.这证明认为儿童只会单纯地模仿的理论是站不住脚的。

7 stimulant   

n.刺激物，兴奋剂

参考例句：

• It is used in medicine for its stimulant quality.由于它有兴奋剂的特性而被应用于医学。
• Musk is used for perfume and stimulant.麝香可以用作香料和兴奋剂。

8 brewed   

调制( brew的过去式和过去分词 )； 酝酿； 沏（茶）； 煮（咖啡）

参考例句：

• The beer is brewed in the Czech Republic. 这种啤酒是在捷克共和国酿造的。
• The boy brewed a cup of coffee for his mother. 这男孩给他妈妈冲了一杯咖啡。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 jolt   

v.（使）摇动，（使）震动，（使）颠簸

参考例句：

• We were worried that one tiny jolt could worsen her injuries.我们担心稍微颠簸一下就可能会使她的伤势恶化。
• They were working frantically in the fear that an aftershock would jolt the house again.他们拼命地干着，担心余震可能会使房子再次受到震动。

10 beverages   

n.饮料( beverage的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• laws governing the sale of alcoholic beverages 控制酒类销售的法规
• regulations governing the sale of alcoholic beverages 含酒精饮料的销售管理条例

11 logic   

n.逻辑(学)；逻辑性

参考例句：

• What sort of logic is that?这是什么逻辑？
• I don't follow the logic of your argument.我不明白你的论点逻辑性何在。

12 slumbers   

睡眠，安眠( slumber的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His image traversed constantly her restless slumbers. 他的形象一再闯进她的脑海，弄得她不能安睡。
• My Titan brother slumbers deep inside his mountain prison. Go. 我的泰坦兄弟就被囚禁在山脉的深处。

13 sleepless   

adj.不睡眠的，睡不著的，不休息的

参考例句：

• The situation gave her many sleepless nights.这种情况害她一连好多天睡不好觉。
• One evening I heard a tale that rendered me sleepless for nights.一天晚上，我听说了一个传闻，把我搞得一连几夜都不能入睡。

14 murky   

adj.黑暗的，朦胧的；adv.阴暗地，混浊地；n.阴暗；昏暗

参考例句：

• She threw it into the river's murky depths.她把它扔进了混浊的河水深处。
• She had a decidedly murky past.她的历史背景令人捉摸不透。

15 pigments   

n.（粉状）颜料( pigment的名词复数 )；天然色素

参考例句：

• The Romans used natural pigments on their fabrics and walls. 古罗马人在织物和墙壁上使用天然颜料。 来自辞典例句
• The original white lead pigments have oxidized and turned black. 最初的白色铅质颜料氧化后变成了黑色。 来自辞典例句

16 enamel   

n.珐琅，搪瓷，瓷釉；(牙齿的)珐琅质

参考例句：

• I chipped the enamel on my front tooth when I fell over.我跌倒时门牙的珐琅质碰碎了。
• He collected coloured enamel bowls from Yugoslavia.他藏有来自南斯拉夫的彩色搪瓷碗。

17 bind   

vt.捆，包扎；装订；约束；使凝固；vi.变硬

参考例句：

• I will let the waiter bind up the parcel for you.我让服务生帮你把包裹包起来。
• He wants a shirt that does not bind him.他要一件不使他觉得过紧的衬衫。

18 microscopic   

adj.微小的，细微的，极小的，显微的

参考例句：

• It's impossible to read his microscopic handwriting.不可能看清他那极小的书写字迹。
• A plant's lungs are the microscopic pores in its leaves.植物的肺就是其叶片上微细的气孔。

19 lesser   

adj.次要的，较小的；adv.较小地，较少地

参考例句：

• Kept some of the lesser players out.不让那些次要的球员参加联赛。
• She has also been affected,but to a lesser degree.她也受到波及，但程度较轻。

20 distressed   

痛苦的

参考例句：

• He was too distressed and confused to answer their questions. 他非常苦恼而困惑，无法回答他们的问题。
• The news of his death distressed us greatly. 他逝世的消息使我们极为悲痛。

21 soothe   

v.安慰；使平静；使减轻；缓和；奉承

参考例句：

• I've managed to soothe him down a bit.我想方设法使他平静了一点。
• This medicine should soothe your sore throat.这种药会减轻你的喉痛。

22 physiological   

adj.生理学的，生理学上的

参考例句：

• He bought a physiological book.他买了一本生理学方面的书。
• Every individual has a physiological requirement for each nutrient.每个人对每种营养成分都有一种生理上的需要。

23 infusions   

n.沏或泡成的浸液（如茶等）( infusion的名词复数 )；注入，注入物

参考例句：

• Intravenous infusions are also used to administer medications. 静脉输液也可作为一种给药方法。 来自辞典例句
• INTERPRETATION: GKI infusions significantly reduced plasma glucose concentrations and blood pressure. 结论：静脉滴注GKI显著降低血压和血糖浓度。 来自互联网

24 diabetes   

n.糖尿病

参考例句：

• In case of diabetes, physicians advise against the use of sugar.对于糖尿病患者，医生告诫他们不要吃糖。
• Diabetes is caused by a fault in the insulin production of the body.糖尿病是由体內胰岛素分泌失调引起的。

25 elixir   

n.长生不老药，万能药

参考例句：

• There is no elixir of life in the world.世界上没有长生不老药。
• Keep your mind awake and active;that's the only youth elixir.保持头脑清醒和灵活便是保持年轻的唯一灵丹妙药。

26 solely   

adv.仅仅，唯一地

参考例句：

• Success should not be measured solely by educational achievement.成功与否不应只用学业成绩来衡量。
• The town depends almost solely on the tourist trade.这座城市几乎完全靠旅游业维持。