Tea or coffee - which do you prefer?

喝什么好，咖啡还是茶？

Some people swear they can't wake up in the morning without a strong coffee, while others prefer to start the day with a nice pot of tea.

有些人早上起来不喝杯咖啡绝对没法清醒，有些人则选择喝杯茶来迎接新的一天。

But with the benefits and dangers of regularly consuming these drinks hotly debated each week, which is better for us?

但是喝咖啡和茶的好处和坏处分别是什么呢，到底哪一款对我们更加有益？

Now, a new graphic¹ pitting the two against each other claims coffee and tea are good for you in different ways.

一项最新研究将咖啡和茶的对于健康的益处列举了出来。

It says tea may prevent the development of type 1 diabetes², cut the risk of a heart attack and protect against obesity³, heart disease and cancer.

茶有助于预防一型糖尿病，降低肥胖、心脏病、心脏病和癌症的发生率。

People who drank black tea four times a day for six weeks were found to have lower levels of the stress hormone⁴ cortisol, one study found.

研究显示那些一天喝4次红茶，连续喝了六周的人们，他们的压力荷尔蒙皮质醇水平明显降低。

However, adding milk to the tea may stop the benefits it has against cancer, according to other research.

但是如果往茶中加奶，那它就失去了抗癌的功效。

It’s also possible tea could contain pesticides⁵ - even if it is labelled organic - and contains a large amount of tannin, which reduces the absorption of iron in the blood, which can cause anaemia.

另外茶叶中可能有杀虫剂残留，即使是有机茶叶。另外，茶也含有大量的丹宁酸，它有碍于血液对铁元素的吸收，从而导致贫血。

And while green tea is often hailed as the healthy option, health-conscious tea drinkers might want to opt⁶ for white tea, which is made from the buds and young leaves of the tea bush.

尽管绿茶一直被标榜为健康饮品，一些有健康意识的饮茶者会选择白茶，白茶由茶树的嫩芽和嫩叶制成。

White tea has been found to have a higher concentration of antioxidants in it which may actually be more effective preventing some diseases than green tea.

白茶含有更高的抗氧化成分，在预防某些疾病方面也许会优于绿茶。

While studies found that drinking tea when it is too hot increased the risk of oesophageal cancer, green tea reduces the risk of oesophageal cancer in women by 60 per cent.

研究也发现，若总是喝太烫的茶，会增加患食道癌的可能性。但事实是，饮用绿茶能将女性患食道癌的几率减少约60%。

Meanwhile, some studies did find that coffee - normally thought to be the less healthy drink of the two - does have some health benefits.

与此同时，研究发现，虽然咖啡在人们的印象中不及茶健康，但是它也有诸多益处。

It can prevent type 2 diabetes, reduce the risk of gout in middle aged men, stave off Alzheimer’s disease and protect against liver damage (known as cirrhosis) and liver cancer in men.

它也能降低患二型糖尿病的风险，帮助中年男性预防痛风，减少患老年痴呆症和男性患肝硬化、肝癌的可能性。

It showed coffee also increases the effectiveness of painkillers⁷ and improves short term memory and reaction times, especially in the elderly.

另外，咖啡能增加止痛药的药效，提高短期记忆力和反应时间 （特别是老年人群）。

Scientists now believe that chemicals found in coffee could be used to make new drugs to treat heart disease and insomnia⁸.

科学家相信咖啡中含有的化学物质能够提炼制药，以治疗心脏病和失眠症。

But other research has shown coffee decreases blood flow to the heart and causes tooth discolouration.

但是有个研究表明咖啡会造成流向心脏血液的减少，也让牙齿变色。

A study in Denmark found that drinking eight or more cups of coffee a day significantly increased the risk of stillbirths.

丹麦的一项研究发现，每天喝8杯及8杯以上的咖啡，会增加女性死产的风险。

However, most of the research was based on black coffee with a little milk or sugar, rather than the high calorie coffee drinks found in high-street coffee shops.

以上的大部分研究都是用的黑咖啡加少量鲜奶及糖，并没有选择咖啡店内出售的高卡路里咖啡饮品。

Dr Duane Mellor, assistant professor of dietetics⁹ at the university of Nottingham, said these were well-known studies and added that he doesn't advise his clients to give up tea or coffee.

英国诺丁汉大学的营养学助理教授Duane Mellor表示，这些研究赫赫有名。另外他并不建议人们停止喝茶或咖啡。

'They are a better alternative than sugary soft drinks,' he said.

“比起含糖饮料，咖啡和茶其实是更好的选择。”

However, he warned against the high sugar drinks masquerading as 'coffee'.

但他补充说，一些含糖量很高的饮品根本不能被称为合格的咖啡。像一杯放了糖浆的拿铁，就有太多的糖、能量和脂肪。

He added that it is a myth that coffee and tea are dehydrating.

他表示咖啡和茶会使人脱水的说法只是虚构的。

'If you go from drinking none to a lot, the caffeine might make a difference, but if you have a regular intake¹⁰ of caffeine it’s not a problem,' he said.

“如果你以前一口都不喝，而现在大量饮用，那咖啡因可能会对你的身体产生影响。但是如果你一直饮用一定量的咖啡或茶，那就不会有大问题”。