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The Truth About Tea 揭开茶的真相

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What you should know about the real benefits of drinking tea  喝茶的真正好处，你一定要知道

It’s true that, unlike the rest of the world, Americans more often drink tea instant and iced. But a revolution is brewing.

美国人和世界上其他地方的人不一样，美国人比较常喝速溶和加了冰块的茶，此话不假。不过，有场从茶壶掀起的革命正在酝酿当中（译注：brew除了指酝酿之外，在此也有泡茶的双关意）。

We’re warming up to the beneficial qualities of tea, the second most popular drink on the planet behind water. Tea sales in the U.S. are expected to double over the next five years, bolstered by a growing interest in its potential health benefits, according to market research firm Packaged Facts.

我们开始喜欢茶里有益健康的特质。茶是全世界第二受欢迎的饮料，仅次于水。根据市场调查公司「包装事实」表示，由于人们对茶有益健康的潜在好处愈来愈有兴趣，在此推波助澜之下，美国的茶销售量，预计将在接下来的五年间增加一倍。

“People come to tea as an alternative to coffee,” says Bill Todd, owner of Todd & Holland Tea Merchants. “They like that it has caffeine but doesn’t slam you. And they’re looking for health benefits.” Still, Todd tries to educate his customers because so many misconceptions about tea are rampant. He set us straight on a few.

比尔．达德是「达德与哈兰茶商」的老板，他表示，「大家把茶视为咖啡以外的另一种选择。人们喜欢茶虽然含有咖啡因却不至于过强而伤身，而且他们也希望茶能得至健康上的好处。」不过，达德极力想教育他的顾客，因为外界充斥着对茶的许多错误观念，他希望能让大家了解一些真相。

True or false?  对或错？

MYTH: Tea comes in many varieties.  迷思：茶有很多品种

False! Only one plant gives us tea leaves – the Camellia sinensis. The differences in color and flavor among the three basic types – black, green and oolong – depend on how the leaves are processed.

错！茶叶只从一种植物而来──也就是茶树。红茶、绿茶与乌龙茶这三种基本类型，其色泽与口味的差别，来自于茶叶的加工过程不同所导致。

For black tea, the most popular type of tea in the U.S., the tea leaves are exposed to air, or allowed to oxidize. Green teas are less processed to preserve the green color and delicate flavor. Oolong tea is between black and green.

在美国最受欢迎的茶是红茶，供制成红茶的茶叶，会暴露在空气中，使之氧化。至于绿茶的加工程度则较少，以保持绿色的色泽及细致的口味。乌龙茶加工过程的精细程度则是介于茶与绿茶之间。

MYTH: Herbal tea is tea.  迷思：花草茶也算是一种茶

False! Even more shocking is that rooibos isn’t tea either. Technically, tea must come from the Camellia sinensis plant. Herbal teas are made from other plants and called “tisanes.” Rooibos or “red tea” is not a leaf; it’s a seed from a bush that grows in South Africa. Though herbal teas can have health benefits, most of the research has been done on tea, not tisanes.

错！更令人震惊的是，称为rooibis的红灌木茶（译注：由南非rooibos灌木所制成的茶，又称博士茶、来宝茶或红叶茶，灌木的叶子原为绿色，制茶后依照氧化过程不同会转为红褐色或绿色不等）也不是茶。严格来说，必须从茶树这种植物所制成的才算是茶。花草茶则是用其他植物制造而成，又称为tisanes（译注：即法文的花草茶）。红灌木茶或「红叶茶」不是来自叶子，而是一种南非灌木的种子（译注：此为作为作者所述，按市面上大多红灌木茶均取自该灌木的叶子制成）。虽然花草茶对健康可能也有好处，但是大部分研究都是针对茶所进行的，而非花草茶。

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warm up 做准备活动; (使)启动 to make or become ready for an event or operation

caffeine [ˋkæfiɪn] n. 咖啡因，咖啡碱

slam [slæm] v. 彻底击败; 猛烈抨击

rampant [ˋræmpənt] adj. 蔓延的；猖獗的 existing or spreading everywhere in a way that cannot be controlled

process [ˋprɑsɛs] v. 加工; 处理 to treat food with chemicals that preserve it or give it extra taste or color

oxidize [ˋɑksə͵daɪz] v. 氧化 to combine with oxygen to form another substance

rooibos [ˈrɔɪbɑs] n.（南非）红叶茶树，洛依柏丝茶树

tisane [tɪˋzæn] n. 香草茶；草药茶 a drink made by pouring boiling water onto particular types of dried or fresh flowers or leaves

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MYTH: Tea can help fight cancer.  迷思：茶有助于抗癌

True – if you’re a rat. Studies show tea has a powerful cancer-fighting effect in rodents, said nutrition professor Jeffrey Blumberg, at Tufts University.

对──这是指如果你是只老鼠的话。「塔夫特大学」营养学教授杰弗里．布朗格指出，研究显示，茶对囓齿动物有强大的抗癌效果。

For humans, the data are less clear. But tea can help reduce your risk of heart disease, Blumberg told me. Catechins, a type of flavonoid, are what make a tea healthy. Tea is one of the most highly concentrated food sources of catechins.

不过，对人类而言，相关数据就比较不明显了。但布朗格告诉我，茶有助于降低罹患心脏疾病的风险。儿茶素这种类黄酮，就是使茶有益健康的功臣。茶是儿茶素含量最高的食物来源之一。

MYTH: Black tea contains more caffeine than green tea.  迷思：红茶所含的咖啡因比绿茶多

False! The difference between green and black tea is in the processing, something that doesn’t affect caffeine content. Because they’re derived from the same plant, they contain similar amounts unless you brew your green tea for short periods. By the same token, green tea isn’t healthier than black tea.

错！绿茶与红茶的差别在于加工过程，但这过程并不会影响咖啡因含量。由于绿茶与红茶都来自于同一种植物，除非你的绿茶冲泡的时间比较短，否则两者的咖啡因含量都会差不多。基于相同理由，绿茶也不会比红茶更有益健康。

MYTH: You can decaffeinate a regular tea.  迷思：一般的茶可以去掉咖啡因

False! You can certainly try, as I have, by brewing a cup for 30 seconds, tossing out the water, and starting again. But this popular technique isn’t backed by any evidence. If it does work, you’re not just tossing out caffeine, you’re also throwing out catechins and flavonoids, which tend to be released in the first 30 seconds.

错！你当然可以和我一样试试看，把一杯茶冲泡三十秒，把水倒掉，重新再冲泡一次。但是这个广为流传的方法没有任何证据证实可以减少茶的咖啡因。即使确实行得通，你倒掉的也不只是咖啡因，因为你也同时把往往在最初三十秒就会释出的儿茶素和各种类黄酮给倒掉了。

MYTH: Drinking green tea will make you skinny.  迷思：喝绿茶能让人苗条

False! Some scientists speculate that caffeine and EGCG – a highly active catechin in tea – may act together to increase fat oxidation. But study results are mixed, and the effects, if any, are so modest that they’ll be wiped out by half an Oreo, said Blumberg. Still, tea has zero calories if you don’t add milk, honey or sugar.

错！有些科学家推测，咖啡因和ＥＧＣＧ（译注：即「表没食子儿茶素没食子酸酯」）──亦即茶中一种高效能的儿茶素──可能会一起作用，增进脂肪氧化（译注：脂肪氧化会导致脂肪减少，有助减肥）。但是研究结果不一，而且布朗格指出，就算有效果，效果也非常小，半片奥利欧饼干就可能把所有功效毁于一旦。话虽如此，不加牛奶、蜂蜜或糖的话，茶是不含任何卡路里的。

MYTH: Adding milk negates the health benefits of tea.  迷思：加牛奶会抵消茶对健康的好处

It might! But it might not. Only one study has shown that adding milk decreases the body’s ability to absorb catechins in tea. But, according to Blumberg, the results haven’t been replicated.

有可能！但是也可能不会。只有一项研究指出，加牛奶会降低人体吸收茶中儿茶素的能力，但是布朗格表示，至今还没有其他研究如法炮制出相同结果。

−by Julie Deardorff

单词发音

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catechin [ˈkætəˌkən] n. 儿茶素 a yellow crystalline substance, found in abundance in tea and noted for its health benefits

flavonoid [ ˈflevəˌnɔɪd ] n. 类黄酮 any of a large group of plant pigments that have health benefits

derive [dɪˋraɪv] v. 取得，得到; 衍生出[（+from）]

单词发音

Vocabulary Focus

bolster [ˋbolstɚ] v. 支撑；支持; 鼓舞; 增强[（+up）] to support or make something stronger

misconception [͵mɪskənˋsɛpʃən] n. 错误想法; 错误观念 an idea that is wrong because it is based on a failure to understand a situation

set (someone) straight  纠正某人, 给某人批评指正 to make the true facts known to someone; to make certain that someone understands something exactly

derive from 源自..., 出自... to come from something

by the same token 根据同样的理由, 同样地 indicates that your next statement is true for the same reasons as the statement you have just made

wipe out 彻底消灭或摧毁某事物 to destroy or get rid of something

negate [nɪˋget] v. 取消；使无效 to cause something to have no effect and therefore to be useless

replicate [ˋrɛplɪ͵ket] v. 复制 to make or do something again in exactly the same way

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