Coffee vs. Tea: Is One Healthier Than the Other?

Medically reviewedbyAdda Bjarnadottir, MS, RDN (Ice)

— Written byAriane Lang, BSc, MBA

on September 6, 2019

咖啡与茶：哪种更健康？

医学审核：阿达·比亚纳多蒂尔（Adda Bjarnadottir），理学硕士、注册营养师（冰岛）

——作者：阿丽亚娜·朗（Ariane Lang），理学学士、工商管理硕士

2019年9月6日

Coffee and tea are among the world’s most popular beverages, with black tea being the most sought-after variety of the later, accounting for 78% of all tea production and consumption (1Trusted Source).

While the two provide similar health benefits, they have some differences.

This article compares coffee and black tea to help you decide which one to choose.

咖啡和茶是世界上最受欢迎的饮品之一，其中红茶是茶类中最受欢迎的品种，占茶叶总产量和消费量的78%。

虽然这两种饮品能带来相似的健康益处，但它们也存在一些差异。

本文将对咖啡和红茶进行比较，以帮助您决定选择哪一种。

sought-after

ADJSomething that issought-afteris in great demand, usually because it is rare or of very good quality. 受青睐的

An Olympic gold medal is the most sought-after prize in world sport.

奥运会金牌是世界体育活动中最受青睐的奖牌。

Caffeine content

Caffeine is the most studied and consumed stimulant in the world (2Trusted Source,3Trusted Source).

Present in many common beverages, including coffee and tea, it’s known for both its beneficial and adverse effects on human health.

While thecaffeine contentcan vary depending on brewing time, serving size, or preparation method, coffee can easily pack twice the caffeine as an equal serving of tea.

The amount of caffeine considered safe for human consumption is 400 mg per day. One 8-ounce cup (240 ml) of brewed coffee contains an average of 95 mg of caffeine, compared with 47 mg in the same serving of black tea (4Trusted Source,5Trusted Source,6Trusted Source).

Though scientists have primarily focused on coffee when researching the positive effects of caffeine, both drinks — despite containing differing amounts of this substance — can provide its associated health benefits.

Caffeine intake may reduce your risk of certain chronic diseases andimprove athletic performance, mood, and mental alertness (7Trusted Source,8Trusted Source,9Trusted Source).

Caffeine works as a powerful stimulant for your central nervous system, which is why it’s considered a performance-enhancing substance in sports (10Trusted Source,11Trusted Source,12Trusted Source).

One review of 40 studies determined that caffeine intake improved endurance exercise outcomes by 12%, compared with a placebo (13Trusted Source).

As for caffeine’s effect on mental alertness, research shows that it improves performance in both simple and complex tasks (14Trusted Source,15Trusted Source).

A study in 48 people who were given a drink containing either 75 or 150 mg of caffeine revealed improvements in reaction times, memory, and information processing, compared with the control group (16Trusted Source).

Other studies indicate that caffeine may reduce type 2 diabetes risk byimproving insulin sensitivity(17Trusted Source).

A review of 9 studies in 193,473 people showed that regularly drinking coffee significantly lowered the risk of type 2 diabetes (18Trusted Source,19Trusted Source).

What’s more, moderate caffeine intake has been associated with protective effects against dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, metabolic syndrome, and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (20Trusted Source,21Trusted Source,22Trusted Source,23Trusted Source,24Trusted Source).

咖啡因含量

咖啡因是世界上研究最多且摄入最广泛的兴奋剂 。

它存在于许多常见饮品中，包括咖啡和茶，其对人体健康既有有益影响，也有不利影响。

虽然咖啡因含量会因冲泡时间、饮用量或制作方法而有所不同，但同等份量的咖啡所含咖啡因很容易达到茶的两倍。

人类每天安全的咖啡因摄入量为400毫克。一杯8盎司（240毫升）的冲泡咖啡平均含有95毫克咖啡因，而同样份量的红茶含有47毫克咖啡因。

尽管科学家在研究咖啡因的积极作用时主要聚焦于咖啡，但这两种饮品——尽管所含咖啡因量不同——都能带来与之相关的健康益处。

摄入咖啡因可能会降低患某些慢性疾病的风险，并提升运动表现、改善情绪和提高精神警觉性 。

咖啡因是中枢神经系统的强效兴奋剂，这就是为什么它在体育运动中被视为一种提高成绩的物质 。

一项对40项研究的综述表明，与安慰剂相比，摄入咖啡因可使耐力运动成绩提高12% 。

至于咖啡因对精神警觉性的影响，研究表明它能提高简单和复杂任务的完成表现 。

一项针对48人的研究，给他们饮用含有75毫克或150毫克咖啡因的饮品，结果显示与对照组相比，他们的反应时间、记忆力和信息处理能力都有所改善 。

其他研究表明，咖啡因可能通过提高胰岛素敏感性来降低患2型糖尿病的风险 。

一项对193473人进行的9项研究的综述显示，经常喝咖啡能显著降低患2型糖尿病的风险 。

此外，适量摄入咖啡因与对痴呆、阿尔茨海默病、代谢综合征和非酒精性脂肪肝病的保护作用有关 。

stimulant/ˈstɪmjʊlənt/CET6+ TEM8

N-COUNTAstimulantis a drug that makes your body work faster, often increasing your heart rate and making you less likely to sleep. 兴奋剂

It is not a good idea to fight fatigue by taking stimulants.

服兴奋剂来抗疲劳不是个好主意。

placebo/pləˈsiːbəʊ/

N-COUNTAplacebois a substance with no chemical effects that a doctor gives to a patient instead of a drug. Placebos are used when testing new drugs or sometimes when a patient has imagined their illness. (无药用效果的)安慰剂

在基督教中，当人去世后要在教堂举行葬礼，在葬礼上要为他念祷词。祷词的第一句是I will please the Lord in the land of the living（我请求尘世之主）。在拉丁语中，该祷词的第一个词是placebo，等于英语中的I will please，词源与please相同。因此，人们就将这段祷词称为placebo。由于人们所念的祷词往往会有意美化死者，因此人们就把那种阿谀奉承的话称为placebo，将阿谀奉承称为sing placebos。

18世纪的英国名医William Cullen大力宣扬安慰疗法，并用placebo来表示安慰剂，即无特定疗效的方法或药物，仅仅用来舒缓患者情绪。现代医学已经证实安慰疗法的 有效性，尤其是针对某些特定的疾病，安慰剂/疗法能够快速治愈或至少能极大地缓解病人的症状。从此后，安慰疗法得到广泛应用，而placebo（安慰剂） 这一术语也得到广泛应用。

placebo：[pləsiːbəʊ] n.安慰剂，为死者念的祷词，阿谀奉承的话

sing placebo：歌功颂德，阿谀奉承

SUMMARY

Caffeine is a powerful stimulant that has been associated with protective effects against some chronic diseases. Coffee contains more caffeine per serving than black tea, but both beverages may provide its associated benefits.

总结：咖啡因是一种强大的兴奋剂，与对某些慢性疾病的保护作用有关。每份咖啡比红茶含有更多的咖啡因，但两种饮品都可能带来相关益处。

Rich in antioxidants

Antioxidants protect your body against free radical damage, which may help prevent the development of certain chronic diseases (25Trusted Source).

Both tea and coffee areloaded with antioxidants, primarily polyphenols, which contribute to their characteristic flavor and health-promoting properties (26Trusted Source,27Trusted Source,28Trusted Source,29Trusted Source).

Many groups of polyphenols are present in tea and coffee.

Theaflavins, thearubigins, and catechins are the primary ones in black tea, while coffee is rich in flavonoids and chlorogenic acid (CGA) (30,31Trusted Source).

A recent test-tube study discovered that theaflavins and thearubigins inhibited the growth of lung and colon cancer cells and ultimately killed them (32Trusted Source).

Studies in leukemia cells revealed similar results, suggesting thatblack teamay have cancer-protective properties, though more research is needed (33Trusted Source).

On the other hand, test-tube studies on coffee’s anticancer properties have found that its CGA content acts as a potent inhibitor of cancer cell growth, protecting against gastrointestinal and liver cancer (34Trusted Source,35Trusted Source).

Long-term studies in humans and further research that has analyzed larger pools of evidence show that coffee and tea may also protect against other kinds of cancers, such as breast, colon, bladder, and rectum cancer (36Trusted Source,37Trusted Source,38Trusted Source,39Trusted Source,40Trusted Source).

Aside from their antioxidant activities, polyphenols have been linked to a reduced rate of heart disease (41Trusted Source).

They contribute to heart health via various blood-vessel-protective mechanisms, including (42Trusted Source,43Trusted Source,44Trusted Source):

Vasodilating factor.They promote blood vessel relaxation, which helps in cases of high blood pressure.Anti-angiogenic effect.They block the formation of new blood vessels that may feed cancer cells.Anti-atherogenic effect.They prevent plaque formation in blood vessels,lowering heart attack and stroke risk.

A 10-year study in 74,961 healthy people determined that drinking 4 cups (960 ml) or more of black tea per day was associated with a 21% lower risk of stroke, compared with non-drinkers (45Trusted Source).

Another 10-year study in 34,670 healthy women showed that drinking 5 cups (1.2 liters) or more of coffee per day lowered the risk of stroke by 23%, compared with non-drinkers (46Trusted Source).

phenol/ˈfiːnɒl/ 酚 (Also called carbolic acid)

富含抗氧化剂

抗氧化剂能保护身体免受自由基损伤，这可能有助于预防某些慢性疾病的发生 。

茶和咖啡都富含抗氧化剂，主要是多酚类物质，这些物质赋予了它们独特的风味和促进健康的特性 。

茶和咖啡中存在多种多酚类物质。

茶黄素、茶红素和儿茶素是红茶中的主要多酚类物质，而咖啡则富含类黄酮和绿原酸（CGA）。

最近一项试管研究发现，茶黄素和茶红素能抑制肺癌和结肠癌细胞的生长，并最终将其杀死 。

对白血病细胞的研究也得出了类似结果，表明红茶可能具有抗癌特性，不过还需要更多研究 。

另一方面，关于咖啡抗癌特性的试管研究发现，其绿原酸含量可作为癌细胞生长的强效抑制剂，对胃肠道癌和肝癌有保护作用 。

针对人类的长期研究以及对更多证据进行分析的进一步研究表明，咖啡和茶可能还对其他类型的癌症有保护作用，如乳腺癌、结肠癌、膀胱癌和直肠癌 。

除了抗氧化作用外，多酚类物质还与降低心脏病发病率有关 。

它们通过多种保护血管的机制促进心脏健康，包括 ：

- 血管舒张因子：它们促进血管舒张，对高血压有帮助。

- 抗血管生成作用：它们阻止可能为癌细胞提供养分的新血管形成。

- 抗动脉粥样硬化作用：它们防止血管中形成斑块，降低心脏病发作和中风的风险。

一项对74961名健康人进行的为期10年的研究表明，与不喝茶者相比，每天饮用4杯（960毫升）或更多红茶，中风风险降低21% 。

另一项对34670名健康女性进行的为期10年的研究表明，与不喝咖啡者相比，每天饮用5杯（1.2升）或更多咖啡，中风风险降低23% 。

SUMMARY

Both coffee and tea contain different types of polyphenols, which are powerful antioxidants that protect against heart disease and cancer.

总结：咖啡和茶都含有不同类型的多酚类物质，它们是强大的抗氧化剂，能预防心脏病和癌症。

May increase energy levels

Both coffee and tea can give you an energy boost — but in different ways.

Coffee’s energy-boosting effect

The caffeine in coffee elevates your energy levels.

Caffeine increases alertness and reduces fatigue byincreasing dopamine levelsand blocking adenosine (8Trusted Source,47Trusted Source).

Dopamine is the chemical messenger responsible for the jittery effect of coffee, as it increases your heart rate. It also affects your brain’s reward system, which adds to coffee’s addictive properties.

On the other hand, adenosine has a sleep-promoting effect. Thus, by blocking it, caffeine reduces your feelings of tiredness.

What’s more,coffee’s effecton your energy levels happens almost immediately.

Once ingested, your body absorbs 99% of its caffeine within 45 minutes, but peak blood concentrations appear as early as 15 minutes after ingestion (48Trusted Source).

This is why many people prefer a cup of coffee when they need an immediate energy boost.

可能提高能量水平

咖啡和茶都能为您提神醒脑，但方式有所不同。

咖啡的提神作用

咖啡中的咖啡因能提升您的能量水平。

咖啡因通过增加多巴胺水平和阻断腺苷来提高警觉性并减轻疲劳 。

多巴胺是一种化学信使，它会导致喝咖啡后产生心悸的感觉，因为它会加快心率。它还会影响大脑的奖励系统，这也增加了咖啡的成瘾性。

另一方面，腺苷具有促进睡眠的作用。因此，咖啡因通过阻断腺苷，减轻您的疲劳感。

此外，咖啡对能量水平的影响几乎是立竿见影的。

一旦摄入，人体会在45分钟内吸收99%的咖啡因，但早在摄入后15分钟，血液中的咖啡因浓度就会达到峰值 。

这就是为什么许多人在需要立即提神时会选择喝一杯咖啡。

Tea’s effect on energy

Though tea is lower in caffeine, it’s rich inL-theanine, a powerful antioxidant that also stimulates your brain (49Trusted Source,50Trusted Source).

Unlike caffeine, L-theanine may provide anti-stress effects by increasing your brain’s alpha waves, which help you calm down and relax (51Trusted Source).

This counteracts the arousing effect of caffeine and gives you a relaxed but alert mental state without feeling drowsy.

Studies have found that consuming L-theanine along with caffeine — as in tea — may help you maintain your alertness, focus, attention, and sharpness (52Trusted Source,53Trusted Source).

This combination may be the reason why tea gives you a soothing and more smoothenergy boostthan coffee.

茶对能量的影响

虽然茶的咖啡因含量较低，但它富含L - 茶氨酸，这是一种强大的抗氧化剂，也能刺激大脑 。

与咖啡因不同，L - 茶氨酸可能通过增加大脑的α波来产生抗压力作用，这有助于您平静下来并放松 。

这抵消了咖啡因的兴奋作用，让您处于一种放松但警觉的精神状态，而不会感到困倦。

研究发现，像在茶中那样同时摄入L - 茶氨酸和咖啡因，可能有助于您保持警觉性、专注力、注意力和敏锐度 。

这种组合可能就是为什么茶给您的提神效果比咖啡更舒缓、更平稳。

SUMMARY

Both coffee and tea increase your energy levels. However, coffee gives you an instant kick, while tea offers a smooth boost.

总结：咖啡和茶都能提高您的能量水平。然而，咖啡能让您瞬间提神，而茶则能带来平稳的提神效果。

Possible weight loss benefits

Due to its high caffeine concentration, coffeemay help you lose weight.

Caffeine may increase the number of calories you burn by 3–13%, and maintain this effect for 3 hours after intake, translating into an extra 79–150 calories burned (54Trusted Source,55Trusted Source,56Trusted Source,57Trusted Source).

Coffee has also been associated with fat-burning properties by inhibiting the production of fat cells. Some studies have attributed this effect to its chlorogenic acid content (58Trusted Source,59Trusted Source).

A study in 455 people reported that regular coffee intake was linked to lower body fat tissue. Similar results were obtained in a review of 12 studies, suggesting that chlorogenic acid aids weight loss and fat metabolism in mice (60Trusted Source,61Trusted Source).

On the other hand, teapolyphenolslike theaflavin also seem to contribute to weight loss.

Theaflavins reportedly inhibit pancreatic lipase, an enzyme that plays a key role in fat metabolism (62Trusted Source).

Studies in rats show that tea polyphenols may lower blood lipid concentrations and reduce weight gain — even when animals ate a high-fat diet (63Trusted Source).

Black tea polyphenols also seem to alter the diversity of your gut microbiota, or healthy bacteria in your intestines, which may impact weight management.

Again, studies in rats have observed that by changing the gut microbiota, tea polyphenols may inhibit weight and fat gain (64Trusted Source,65Trusted Source).

However, further human research is needed to confirm these results.

可能有助于减肥

由于咖啡的咖啡因浓度较高，它可能有助于您减肥。

咖啡因可使您燃烧的卡路里数量增加3% - 13%，并且在摄入后3小时内保持这种效果，相当于额外燃烧79 - 150卡路里 。

咖啡还与脂肪燃烧特性有关，它能抑制脂肪细胞的生成。一些研究将这种效果归因于其绿原酸含量 。

一项针对455人的研究报告称，经常喝咖啡与较低的体脂组织有关。对12项研究的综述也得到了类似结果，表明绿原酸有助于小鼠减肥和脂肪代谢 。

另一方面，茶中的多酚类物质如茶黄素似乎也有助于减肥。

据报道，茶黄素能抑制胰脂肪酶，这是一种在脂肪代谢中起关键作用的酶 。

对大鼠的研究表明，茶多酚可能降低血脂浓度并减少体重增加——即使动物食用的是高脂肪饮食 。

红茶多酚似乎还能改变肠道微生物群（即肠道中的有益细菌）的多样性，这可能会影响体重管理。

同样，对大鼠的研究观察到，通过改变肠道微生物群，茶多酚可能抑制体重和脂肪增加 。

然而，还需要更多针对人类的研究来证实这些结果。

SUMMARY

The caffeine in coffee and polyphenols in tea may help you lose weight, but more human studies are needed to confirm these effects.

总结：咖啡中的咖啡因和茶中的多酚类物质可能有助于您减肥，但还需要更多针对人类的研究来证实这些效果。

Is one better than the other?

Though coffee has been associated withmultiple side effects, such as heart failure, increased heart rate, and high blood pressure, research shows that moderate consumption is safe (66Trusted Source).

Though their antioxidant compositions differ, coffee and black tea are both excellent sources of these important compounds, which may protect against various conditions, including heart disease and some forms of cancers.

Other health claims attributed to coffee include protection against Parkinson’s disease and a lowered risk of type 2 diabetes and liver cirrhosis. On the other hand, tea may protect against cavities, kidney stones, and arthritis (1Trusted Source).

Coffee has a higher caffeine content than tea, which may be good for those looking for an instant energy fix. However, it may cause anxiety and impaired sleep in sensitive people (8Trusted Source).

Also, due to caffeine’s effect on your brain, high coffee intake may result independence or addiction(67Trusted Source).

If you’re highly sensitive to caffeine, tea may be a better choice. It contains L-theanine, an amino acid with calming properties that may relax you while keeping you alert.

Moreover, you can go for a decaf option of either beverage or choose herbal tea, which is naturally caffeine-free. While they won’t provide the same benefits, they may offerbenefits of their own(68Trusted Source).

哪种更好呢？

虽然咖啡与多种副作用有关，比如心力衰竭、心率加快和高血压，但研究表明适量饮用是安全的（66，信息来源可靠）。

尽管咖啡和红茶的抗氧化成分不同，但它们都是这些重要化合物的优质来源，这些化合物可能对多种疾病有预防作用，包括心脏病和某些类型的癌症。

咖啡的其他健康益处还包括预防帕金森病、降低患2型糖尿病和肝硬化的风险。另一方面，茶可能有助于预防龋齿、肾结石和关节炎（1，信息来源可靠）。

咖啡的咖啡因含量比茶高，这对那些寻求快速提神的人来说可能是有益的。然而，对于敏感人群，它可能会引发焦虑并影响睡眠（8，信息来源可靠）。

此外，由于咖啡因对大脑的影响，大量摄入咖啡可能会导致依赖或成瘾（67，信息来源可靠）。

如果你对咖啡因高度敏感，茶可能是更好的选择。茶含有L-茶氨酸，这是一种具有镇静作用的氨基酸，它可以让你在保持警觉的同时放松身心。

此外，你可以选择不含咖啡因的咖啡或茶，或者选择天然不含咖啡因的花草茶。虽然它们无法提供相同的益处，但它们也可能有自身的好处（68，信息来源可靠）。

SUMMARY

Coffee and tea offer similar health benefits, including weight loss, anticancer, and energy-boosting properties. Still, you may want to choose one over the other depending on your caffeine sensitivity.

总结

咖啡和茶都有相似的健康益处，包括有助于减肥、抗癌和提神。不过，你可能需要根据自己对咖啡因的敏感程度来选择其中一种。

The bottom line

Coffee and black tea may aid weight loss and protect against certain chronic diseases via various metabolic processes.

Plus, the high caffeine content of coffee may give you a quick energy boost, whereas the combination of caffeine and L-theanine in black tea offers a more gradual increase in energy.

Both beverages are healthy and safe in moderation, so it may come down to personal preference or yoursensitivity to caffeine.

要点总结

咖啡和红茶可能通过各种代谢过程帮助减肥，并预防某些慢性疾病。

此外，咖啡中高含量的咖啡因可以让你快速提神，而红茶中咖啡因和L-茶氨酸的组合则能让你更平缓地提升精力。

这两种饮品适量饮用都是健康且安全的，所以最终的选择可能取决于个人喜好或你对咖啡因的敏感程度。

Last medically reviewed on September 6, 2019

最后医学审核时间：2019年9月6日

文章来源：

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/coffee-vs-teaenergy-levels

参考译文及笔记：英语老师弗雷德人工手打

转发请标注英文作者，中文翻译者及出处。

英语老师弗雷德践行英语教与学三十年，曾在中国，美国，加拿大多地中小学校任教：上传英语学习笔记，下载文化交际热点；左顾娱乐百相人生，右盼生活五味杂陈。只发布原创首发头条，敬请支持关注！