Bad news for Britons: adding milk to tea ruins the health benefits of the drink, according to a Germany study.

对英国人而言，这是个坏消息：根据德国的一项研究，往茶里加牛奶会破坏茶的保健成分。

Tea has complex compounds called polyphenols which are believed to help the arteries¹ to relax or dilate², thus enabling a smoother flow of blood.

茶中含有一种叫多酚的复杂混合物。这种物质据信能帮助放松或扩张动脉，从而使血流更为平缓。

Scientists tested black Darjeeling tea on 16 healthy women volunteers aged³ more than 50.

科学家们对16位饮用了大吉岭红茶，年龄在50岁以上的健康女性志愿者做了测试。

When the women drank half a litre (0.9 of a pint) of tea, their arteries relaxed significantly more than when they drank hot water or tea with milk--tea in which skimmed milk, comprising 10 percent of the drink's volume, was added.

这些女性饮用了半升（0.9品脱）的茶，与饮用热水，奶茶的时候相比，她们的动脉得到了显著的放松。这里说的奶茶指掺有相当于饮料总体积10%的脱脂奶的茶。

The study points the finger of blame at three casein proteins in the milk. These are thought to adhere to a kind of polyphenols known as catechins, preventing them from carrying out their health-making work.

这项研究指出，影响茶发挥作用的罪魁祸首为牛奶中的三种酪蛋白。研究者认为它们会附着在一种叫儿茶酚的多酚上，使之无法发挥保健功效。

This could explain why Britain, a nation passionate⁴ about tea-drinking but where almost everybody adds milk to their cup, fails to make headway against cardiovascular disease.

这就是英国——这个热爱饮茶，却几乎人人都往茶中加牛奶的国度——在对抗心血管疾病方面并无进展的原因。