In England, it's common to give "tea and sympathy" to a distressed friend – the idea being that a cup of Earl Grey is medicine for troubled minds. In fact, there is some evidence that tea can soothe your nerves: regular tea drinkers do tend to show a calmer physiological response to unsettling situations (such as public speaking), compared to people drinking herbal infusions. Overall, people who drink three cups a day appear to have a 37% lower risk of depression than those who do not drink tea.
英國人喜歡給煩惱苦悶的朋友送去"茶與同情"——這是由于他們認為伯爵茶能夠治愈不安的靈魂.事實上,有證據表明,茶可以舒緩神經：與喝中草藥的人相比,經常飲茶者在處理一些令人不安的情況（如公開演講）時確實表現得更為鎮靜.總的來說,每天喝三杯茶的人比不喝茶的人罹患抑郁癥的風險要低37%.
Coffee doesn't have the same reputation; indeed, some report that it makes them feel like their nerves are jangling. Yet there is some evidence that it too may protect against long-term mental health problems. A recent "meta-analysis" (summarising the results of studies involving more than 300,000 participants) found that each cup of coffee a day seems to reduce your risk of developing depression by around 8%. In contrast, other beverages (such as sweetened soft drinks) only increase your risk of developing mental health problems.
咖啡并沒有這種功效；事實上,有些人覺得咖啡會讓人有些神經錯亂.但是也有證據表明,咖啡能預防長期精神問題.最近的一項"薈萃分析"（總結了超過30萬名參與者的研究結果）發現,每天一杯咖啡的人患抑郁癥的風險比常人要低大約8%.相比之下,其他飲料（如甜味軟飲）只會增加患精神疾病的風險.
Verdict: Based on this limited evidence, it's a draw.
結論：基于有限的證據,平局.
…and a balm for bodies……
身體的萬金油
Similarly tantalising, though preliminary, epidemiological studies have suggested that both coffee and tea offer many other health-giving benefits. A few cups of either beverage a day appears to reduce your risk of diabetes, for instance.
流行病學研究雖然才剛剛起步,但也很吸睛.該領域研究表明,咖啡和茶都對身體還有其它益處.例如,每天喝幾杯會降低患糖尿病的風險.
Both drinks also seem to moderately protect the heart, although the evidence seems to be slightly stronger for coffee, while tea also appears to be slightly protective against developing a range of cancers – perhaps because of its antioxidants.
飲用這兩種飲料能對心臟起到一定的保護作用,盡管證據顯示似乎咖啡的功效更強,但許是因為茶中的抗氧化劑,茶對預防癌癥也有些許功效.
Verdict: Another draw – both drinks are a surprising, health-giving elixir.
結論：還是平局——這兩種飲料都是神奇的、有益健康的靈丹妙藥.
Overall verdict: Much as we Brits would have liked tea to come out the clear victor, we have to admit there is little between the two drinks besides personal taste. Based solely on the fact that it allows you to get a better night's sleep, we declare tea the winner.
總結：大部分英國人都會覺得茶很明顯更勝一籌.但除了個人口味,必須承認的是兩者的差異并不大.僅僅基于能讓人好眠這一點,茶無疑是贏家.
英文來源：BBC
