喝咖啡有益健康嗎

舉例來說，前面提及的有關(guān)前列腺癌的研究比較了20多年來有喝咖啡習(xí)慣的五萬名從事醫(yī)療行業(yè)的男性患前列腺癌的比例。這項研究將前列腺癌家族病史和人們進(jìn)行篩查的頻率也考慮在內(nèi)。大約有5,000名男性在這個時間段罹患了前列腺癌，其中包括846個晚期和致死病例。在這個最能致人死命的人群中，喝的咖啡越多，那么死亡的可能性也越小。“你沒辦法從20多歲開始就對男性進(jìn)行隨機(jī)對照實驗，并一直跟蹤到這些人的年齡大到足以患前列腺癌的時候，”主持這項研究的凱瑟琳?威爾遜(Kathryn Wilson)表示，她也是哈佛大學(xué)公共衛(wèi)生學(xué)院(Harvard School of Public Health)流行病學(xué)的研究員。“因為這樣的一些問題，觀察性的研究是我們所擁有的最好方式?！?br>The prostate-cancer study, for example, compared the coffee-drinking habits of 50,000 men working in medical professions with their incidence of prostate cancer over 20 years, and also took into account family history of prostate cancer and how frequently they had screenings. Roughly 5,000 of the men developed prostate cancer during that period, including 846 cases of the most advanced and lethal kind. But the more cups of coffee the men drank, the less likely they were to be in that most lethal group. 'You can't do a randomized controlled trial on men starting in their 20s and following them until they are old enough to get prostate cancer,' says lead investigator Kathryn Wilson, a research fellow in epidemiology at Harvard School of Public Health. 'For some of these questions, observational studies are the best we are going to get.'
　　
而對于糖尿病來說，至少有18項研究發(fā)現(xiàn)，每天喝三杯以上咖啡的人患糖尿病的風(fēng)險就變得更小。這樣的結(jié)果被證實的次數(shù)越多──尤其是針對不同的人群，那么證據(jù)也就越有力。
As for diabetes, at least 18 studies have found that drinking three or more cups of coffee a day is linked with a lower risk of developing the disease. The more such findings are repeated, particularly with different populations, the stronger the evidence is.
　　
咖啡因以外
Beyond Caffeine
　　
在前列腺癌和糖尿病的研究中，人們發(fā)現(xiàn)含咖啡因和不含咖啡因的咖啡都對健康有益，這就意味著咖啡中的一些其它成份決定著喝咖啡是否健康?？Х戎泻谐砂偕锨ХN的物質(zhì)，包括鉀、鎂和維他命E以及據(jù)信含有抗氧化成份的綠原酸。這些物質(zhì)有可能保護(hù)細(xì)胞免于受損和發(fā)炎，而細(xì)胞受損發(fā)炎可能是癌癥、糖尿病、神經(jīng)系統(tǒng)失調(diào)和心血管病的初期表現(xiàn)。
In both the prostate and diabetes studies, the health benefits were found for caffeinated as well as decaffeinated coffee, suggesting that some other component in coffee is responsible. Coffee contains traces of hundreds of substances, including potassium, magnesium and vitamin E, as well as chlorogenic acids that are thought to have antioxidant properties.These may protect against cell damage and inflammation that can be precursors to cancer, diabetes, neurological disorders and cardiovascular disease.
　　
一個正占上風(fēng)的理論就是某些有益成份可能抵消了咖啡因的某些危害。舉例來說，盡管咖啡因通過阻礙有助睡眠的大腦化合物腺甘從而讓人們保持清醒，但咖啡中的綠原酸讓腺甘苷在大腦中循環(huán)的時間延長了。
One theory gaining credence is that some of those beneficial components may counterbalance some of the harmful effects of caffeine. For example, while caffeine keeps people awake in part by blocking adenosine, a brain chemical that brings on sleep, the chlorogenic acid in coffee keeps adenosine circulating in the brain longer.
　　
此外，盡管咖啡因似乎能夠提高主導(dǎo)身體行動的腎上腺素的水平，但咖啡本身或許有鎮(zhèn)靜作用。韓國首爾大學(xué)(Seoul National University)的研究人員去年在《農(nóng)業(yè)與食品化學(xué)雜志》(Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry)發(fā)表的一項研究報告表明，即便是咖啡豆的香氣都有助于緩解老鼠的緊張情緒。綠原酸還能夠減緩餐后葡萄糖向血液中釋放的速度，這可能抵消了咖啡因的葡萄糖效應(yīng)。
And while caffeine seems to boost adrenaline that primes the body for action, coffee itself may have a calming effect. Even the aroma of coffee beans can help ease stress in rats, researchers at Seoul National University in South Korea showed in a study in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry last year. Chlorogenic acid also slows the release of glucose into the bloodstream after a meal, which may counteract caffeine's glucose effect.
　　
“可能的”好處
Benefits Cloaked in 'Mays'
　　
“這就是陰陽平衡，”范德堡大學(xué)的精神病學(xué)家馬丁表示。他還指出，和不喝咖啡的酗酒者相比，喝咖啡的酗酒者更容易保持清醒。即便這些研究僅僅是表明了一種關(guān)聯(lián)，但他說，“這些證據(jù)或許能夠讓我們更好地理解那些影響人類的某些最常見的疾病，并研究出治療這些病癥的手段。不過所有一切都僅僅是‘可能’。”
'It's a yin and yang effect,' says Vanderbilt's Dr. Martin, an addiction psychologist who also notes that former alcoholics who drink coffee are more apt to stay sober than those who don't. Even though these studies are just associations, he says, 'they may provide leads for us to better understand some of the most common illnesses that affect mankind as well as developing ways to treat them. But everything is cloaked in 'mays.' '
　　
大多數(shù)研究者都認(rèn)為，并沒有足夠證據(jù)顯示咖啡的好處已經(jīng)達(dá)到要鼓勵那些不喝咖啡的人改變習(xí)慣的程度上。此外，也沒有一個人找到了對健康最為有益的每天咖啡飲用量。對咖啡的反應(yīng)更是因人而異：一小杯咖啡能讓一個人變得焦慮緊張，但有些人就是喝上10杯，也還能整夜酣睡。
Most researchers agree that there isn't enough evidence about the benefits of coffee to encourage non-coffee drinkers to acquire the habit. And no one has come close to finding a recommended number of cups per day for optimum health. People's reactions to coffee are highly individual. One small cup can give one person the jitters while others can drink 10 cups and sleep all night.
　　
與此同時，那些熱愛咖啡的人們或許也不需要擔(dān)心喝咖啡會傷害身體──除非他們已經(jīng)患有高血壓、身懷六甲，或是有睡眠問題。在以上這些情況下，少喝咖啡更為明智。
At the same time, people who love coffee probably don't need to worry that they are harming their health by drinking it-unless they already have high blood pressure or are pregnant or are having trouble sleeping, in which case it's prudent to cut down.
　　
即便是認(rèn)為咖啡因的風(fēng)險超過了咖啡好處的雷因也承認(rèn)，他每天都要喝上幾杯咖啡。“我為什么喝咖啡？”他思索道?！拔覇栕约哼@個問題……”
Even Dr. Lane, who thinks the risks of caffeine outweigh coffee's potential benefits, concedes he drinks several cups a day. 'Why do I do it?' he muses. 'I ask myself that question ...'