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.
英国人喜欢给烦恼苦闷的朋友送去"茶与同情"——这是由于他们认为伯爵茶能够治愈不安的灵魂.事实上,有证据表明,茶可以舒缓神经：与喝中草药的人相比,经常饮茶者在处理一些令人不安的情况（如公开演讲）时确实表现得更为镇静.总的来说,每天喝三杯茶的人比不喝茶的人罹患抑郁症的风险要低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.
咖啡并没有这种功效；事实上,有些人觉得咖啡会让人有些神经错乱.但是也有证据表明,咖啡能预防长期精神问题.最近的一项"荟萃分析"（总结了超过30万名参与者的研究结果）发现,每天一杯咖啡的人患抑郁症的风险比常人要低大约8%.相比之下,其他饮料（如甜味软饮）只会增加患精神疾病的风险.
Verdict: Based on this limited evidence, it's a draw.
结论：基于有限的证据,平局.
…and a balm for bodies……
身体的万金油
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.
流行病学研究虽然才刚刚起步,但也很吸睛.该领域研究表明,咖啡和茶都对身体还有其它益处.例如,每天喝几杯会降低患糖尿病的风险.
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.
饮用这两种饮料能对心脏起到一定的保护作用,尽管证据显示似乎咖啡的功效更强,但许是因为茶中的抗氧化剂,茶对预防癌症也有些许功效.
Verdict: Another draw – both drinks are a surprising, health-giving elixir.
结论：还是平局——这两种饮料都是神奇的、有益健康的灵丹妙药.
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.
总结：大部分英国人都会觉得茶很明显更胜一筹.但除了个人口味,必须承认的是两者的差异并不大.仅仅基于能让人好眠这一点,茶无疑是赢家.
英文来源：BBC
