Having Your Coffee and Enjoying It Too
盡情享受咖啡吧

A disclaimer: I do not own stock in Starbucks nor, to my knowledge, in any other company that sells coffee or its accouterments. I last wrote about America's most popular beverage four years ago, and the latest and largest study to date supports that earlier assessment of coffee's health effects.

聲明：據(jù)我所知，我沒(méi)有在星巴克(Starbucks)、也沒(méi)有在其他任何銷售咖啡或相關(guān)設(shè)施的公司持有股票。我上篇寫(xiě)咖啡（美國(guó)最流行的飲料）的文章是在四年前，最近的、也是迄今為止規(guī)模最大的研究佐證了此前我所做出的咖啡會(huì)讓人在健康方面受益的評(píng)價(jià)。

Although the new research, which involved more than 400,000 people in a 14-year observational study, still cannot prove cause and effect, the findings are consistent with other recent large studies.

最近的這項(xiàng)調(diào)查，是對(duì)超過(guò)40萬(wàn)人進(jìn)行了長(zhǎng)達(dá)14年的觀察性研究，雖然仍沒(méi)有證明咖啡與健康之間的因果關(guān)系，但是這項(xiàng)研究結(jié)果與近來(lái)其他大規(guī)模研究的結(jié)果是一致的。

The findings were widely reported, but here's the bottom line: When smoking and many other factors known to influence health and longevity were taken into account, coffee drinkers in the study were found to be living somewhat longer than abstainers. Further, the more coffee consumed each day - up to a point, at least - the greater the benefit to longevity.

研究結(jié)果被廣泛報(bào)道，而其中最核心的一點(diǎn)是：如果研究數(shù)據(jù)中考慮到吸煙和其他已知的影響健康和壽命的諸多因素，那么喝咖啡的人就比不喝咖啡的人更長(zhǎng)壽。此外，在一定程度內(nèi)，每天喝的咖啡越多，就越益壽。

The observed benefit of coffee drinking was not enormous - a death rate among coffee drinkers that was 10 percent to 15 percent lower than among abstainers. But the findings are certainly reassuring, and given how many Americans drink coffee, the numbers of lives affected may be quite large.

研究觀察發(fā)現(xiàn)，喝咖啡的益處不算太大——喝咖啡的人比不喝咖啡的人，死亡率低10％至15％。但這個(gè)結(jié)果肯定令人欣慰，考慮到有許多美國(guó)人喝咖啡，咖啡可能會(huì)影響到為數(shù)眾多的人們的生活。

Updating the Evidence

最新證據(jù)

In decades past, experts repeatedly warned that a coffee habit could harm health and shorten lives. And, indeed, the new study did find that when the data were adjusted only for age, the risk of death was greater among coffee drinkers.

在過(guò)去幾十年中，專家們一再警告說(shuō)，經(jīng)常喝咖啡可能會(huì)損害健康，縮短生命。的確，最新的研究發(fā)現(xiàn)，如果研究數(shù)據(jù)中只考慮到年齡，那么喝咖啡的人的死亡風(fēng)險(xiǎn)更高。

But when the researchers took into account other health-related characteristics among the participants, like smoking, alcohol use, meat consumption, physical activity and body mass index, those who regularly drank coffee lived longer.

但是，如果研究人員考慮到參與者的其他與健康相關(guān)的特性，比如吸煙、飲酒、食肉、體力活動(dòng)和體重指數(shù)，那么經(jīng)常喝咖啡的人則更長(zhǎng)壽。

"Coffee drinkers shouldn't be worried," said Neal Freedman, an epidemiologist at the National Cancer Institute who directed the study. "Their risk is quite similar to that of nondrinkers."

美國(guó)國(guó)家癌癥研究所(National Cancer Institute)的流行病學(xué)家尼爾·弗里德曼(Neal Freedman)是這項(xiàng)研究的負(fù)責(zé)人，他說(shuō)：“喝咖啡的人大可不必?fù)?dān)心，他們的健康風(fēng)險(xiǎn)基本等同于不喝咖啡的人。”

Coffee drinkers who were relatively healthy when the study began were less likely than nondrinkers to die of heart disease, respiratory disease, stroke, diabetes, infections, injuries and accidents.

在這項(xiàng)研究開(kāi)始時(shí)參與者身體都較為健康，但喝咖啡的人，比不喝咖啡的人更不可能死于心臟疾病、呼吸系統(tǒng)疾病、中風(fēng)、糖尿病、感染、外傷和意外事故。

The study, published in May in The New England Journal of Medicine, examined data on 402,260 adults in the National Institutes of Health-AARP Diet and Health Study. They were ages 50 to 71 and free of heart disease, cancer and stroke when the study began in 1995. By 2008, 52,515 had died. Dr. Freedman and his co-authors examined why they died in relation to how much coffee they said they drank when the study began.

美國(guó)衛(wèi)生研究院-美國(guó)退休者協(xié)會(huì)(NIH-AAPR)合作進(jìn)行了這項(xiàng)飲食和健康研究，分析了來(lái)自402260位成年人參與者的數(shù)據(jù)，《新英格蘭醫(yī)學(xué)雜志》(The New England Journal of Medicine)在今年5月發(fā)表了研究報(bào)告。研究始于1995年，參與者的年齡介于50至71歲之間，并且都沒(méi)有患心臟疾病、癌癥或中風(fēng)。到了2008年，其中52515位參與者已經(jīng)去世。弗里德曼博士和他的合作者分析了參與者的死因與其在研究開(kāi)始時(shí)自訴的喝咖啡量之間的關(guān)系。

The risk of death gradually dropped as the number of cups the participants drank increased to four or five. At six cups or more each day, there was a slight rise in death risk, compared with that at four or five cups. But the chances of death remained lower than among people who drank no coffee.

如果參與者每天喝咖啡的量控制在四到五杯以內(nèi)，喝咖啡越多，死亡風(fēng)險(xiǎn)越低。每天喝六杯或更多咖啡的參與者，其死亡風(fēng)險(xiǎn)略高于每天喝四或五杯咖啡的參與者，但其死亡風(fēng)險(xiǎn)仍然低于不喝咖啡的人。

Reflecting practices of the mid-1990s, the researchers considered a cup of coffee to be 8 to 10 ounces. The gargantuan cups now often served would count as more than one cup, Dr. Freedman said. Several of these extra-large cups can cause restlessness, irritability, sleeplessness and anxiety (and might enable me to fly without an airplane).

按照研究開(kāi)始時(shí)（1995年）的習(xí)慣，研究人員將一杯咖啡的量定在是8到10盎司之間（227克到283克）。弗里德曼博士說(shuō)，現(xiàn)在常用的咖啡杯可比那時(shí)的杯子大多了。喝幾杯超大杯咖啡，可能引起煩躁、易怒、失眠和焦慮（估計(jì)喝幾杯，我不用乘飛機(jī)就能飛起來(lái)了）。

Contrary to previous belief, at usual levels of consumption, coffee is not any more of a diuretic than the equivalent amount of water. Up to six cups a day can be counted toward one's recommended liquid intake.

與以前的觀念相反，飲用常規(guī)量的咖啡，可以不考慮咖啡的利尿作用，而是直接計(jì)算成等量的水。在每天六杯的范圍內(nèi)，飲用咖啡的量可計(jì)入每天的推薦液體攝入量。

Effects on Health

對(duì)健康的影響

Coffee is a complex substance that contains more than 1,000 compounds that may affect health. Caffeine, a stimulant, is the most studied and sought after. The amounts in coffee can vary greatly, from about 70 milligrams in a shot of espresso to about 100 milligrams in eight ounces of brewed coffee.

咖啡是復(fù)雜的物質(zhì)，其中包含的1000多種化合物都有可能會(huì)影響健康。其中所含的咖啡因是一種興奮劑，是研究得最多、最受追捧的。不同咖啡飲料中咖啡因的含量可以相差很大，一杯濃咖啡含大約70毫克的咖啡因，而一杯8盎司的滴濾咖啡含大約100毫克的咖啡因。

But there can be wide variability in caffeine levels, even in similar beverages. As Jane V. Higdon and Balz Frei of Oregon State University reported in Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition, when the same type of coffee was purchased from the same store on six different days, the caffeine content varied from 130 milligrams to 282 milligrams in an eight-ounce cup.

即使是同種咖啡飲料，咖啡因的含量也變化很大。俄勒岡州立大學(xué)(Oregon State University)的簡(jiǎn)·V·希格頓(Jane V. Higdon)和巴爾茲·弗雷(Balz Frei)在《食品科學(xué)與營(yíng)養(yǎng)評(píng)論》(Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition)發(fā)表的論文中報(bào)告稱，研究人員分別在六天從同一家咖啡店購(gòu)買同種類型的咖啡，結(jié)果一杯8盎司咖啡的咖啡因含量從130毫克至282毫克不等。

Nor is caffeine is the only compound in coffee important to health. In the new study, little or no difference was found in death rates among those who drank predominantly caffeinated coffee or decaffeinated coffee. Other substances - like antioxidants and polyphenols - probably also play a health-related role, the researchers noted.

咖啡因并不是咖啡中唯一與健康有關(guān)的化合物。在這項(xiàng)新研究中，參與者無(wú)論是主要喝含咖啡因的咖啡，還是喝低因咖啡，其死亡率基本上沒(méi)有差異。研究人員指出，咖啡中的其他物質(zhì)如抗氧化劑和多酚類物質(zhì)，可能也起到了有益健康的作用。

Their findings should reassure people concerned about possible harm from substances long used to remove caffeine from coffee. Fear of these chemicals prompted many manufacturers to switch to the Swiss water method for removing caffeine.

人們一直擔(dān)心用于從咖啡中去除咖啡因的化學(xué)品可能會(huì)給健康造成危害，這項(xiàng)研究結(jié)果應(yīng)該能打消人們的顧慮。正是因?yàn)閾?dān)心這些化學(xué)品的影響，許多咖啡制造商改用瑞士水洗法來(lái)去除咖啡因。

But how coffee is brewed can make a health difference. Two prominent chemicals in coffee beans, cafestol and kahweol, are known to raise blood levels of cholesterol and especially artery-damaging LDL cholesterol. These substances are removed when coffee is prepared through a filter, but remain in espresso, French press and boiled coffee. Single-serving coffee pods, like those used in a Keurig, contain filters.

但是，沖泡咖啡的方式不同，對(duì)健康的影響則會(huì)有所不同。眾所周知，咖啡豆中含有兩種重要的化學(xué)物質(zhì)——咖啡醇(cafestol)和咖啡豆醇(kahweol)，它們能提高血液中膽固醇的含量，尤其是對(duì)動(dòng)脈有害的低密度脂蛋白(LDL)膽固醇。用濾紙滴漏做出的咖啡能濾除這兩種化學(xué)物質(zhì)，但是用蒸汽加壓咖啡機(jī)、法式壓濾壺、以及滴濾壺做出來(lái)的咖啡中仍然存在這兩種化學(xué)物質(zhì)。單份式咖啡機(jī)會(huì)內(nèi)置濾紙，例如Keurig品牌的咖啡機(jī)。

Even though coffee can cause a temporary rise in blood pressure, the new study, like those before it, found the risk of heart disease to be lower among otherwise healthy coffee drinkers. Other benefits suggested by recent studies include a reduced risk of Type 2 diabetes, liver disease and Parkinson's disease. Some research has found a reduced risk of depression, dementia and Alzheimer's disease among coffee drinkers.

盡管咖啡可導(dǎo)致血壓暫時(shí)上升，但是與以前的研究結(jié)果一致，這項(xiàng)新研究發(fā)現(xiàn)健康的參與者，如果常常喝咖啡的話，他們患心臟病的風(fēng)險(xiǎn)相對(duì)較低。最近的研究揭示了咖啡的其它益處，包括降低罹患Ⅱ型糖尿病、肝臟疾病和帕金森氏癥的風(fēng)險(xiǎn)。一些研究還發(fā)現(xiàn)喝咖啡的人，患抑郁癥、癡呆癥和阿爾茨海默病的風(fēng)險(xiǎn)較低。

People who engage in strenuous physical activities can also benefit, but only if their coffee contains caffeine, which helps muscles use fatty acids for energy and blunts the effect of adenosine, extending the time before muscles fatigue. Post-exercise soreness is also reduced and recovery time shortened.

從事劇烈體力活動(dòng)的人也能從喝咖啡中受益，但前提是他們喝的咖啡中必須含有咖啡因，這是因?yàn)榭Х纫蛴兄诩∪馐褂弥舅嶙鳛槟芰?，并且可以減弱腺苷的影響，從而使得肌肉疲勞的時(shí)間延后。同時(shí)，運(yùn)動(dòng)后的酸痛可以得到減輕，恢復(fù)元?dú)獾臅r(shí)間也可以縮短。

Whether coffee poses a risk to pregnant women remains controversial. A causal relationship between coffee consumption and miscarriage has not been demonstrated at caffeine intakes of less than 300 milligrams a day, but some studies have found increased risk of low birth weight associated with consuming more than 150 milligrams a day.

孕婦喝咖啡是否有風(fēng)險(xiǎn)，目前仍然存在爭(zhēng)議。在每天的咖啡因攝入量少于300毫克的程度內(nèi)，孕婦喝咖啡和流產(chǎn)之間的因果關(guān)系尚未得到證明，但一些研究發(fā)現(xiàn)，如果孕婦每天的咖啡因攝入量超過(guò)150毫克，那么生下低體重嬰兒的風(fēng)險(xiǎn)就會(huì)增加。

Keep in mind, too, that caffeine is a drug. Some medications, including Tagamet, Diflucan, Luvox, Mexitil, estrogens and antibiotics like Cipro and Levaquin, interfere with the metabolism of caffeine and can increase its effects.

另外，請(qǐng)記住咖啡因是一種藥物。有些藥物，包括泰胃美(Tagamet)、大扶康(Diflucan)、蘭釋(Luvox)、脈序律(Mexitil)，還有雌激素和抗生素，如環(huán)丙沙星(Cipro)和左氧氟沙星(Levaquin)，能夠干擾咖啡因的代謝，增強(qiáng)咖啡因的效用。

In other cases, caffeine can enhance the effect of drugs like aspirin and acetaminophen (a benefit for pain relief). Caffeine can be toxic if used with prescribed doses of the antipsychotic medication clozapine.

在其他情況下，咖啡因可增強(qiáng)某些藥物的藥效，如阿司匹林和對(duì)乙酰氨基酚(acetaminophen)，從而有利于緩解疼痛。但是咖啡因如果與規(guī)定劑量的抗精神病藥物氯氮平(clozapine)同時(shí)服用，就可能是有毒的。