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0Episode: Does Instant Coffee Make You Age Faster?
Duration: approximately 6 minutes
Level: B1 (Intermediate)
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[Mike]: Welcome back to Learn English with Podcasts! Sarah, be honest, how many cups of instant coffee did you drink this week?
zh:欢迎回到 Learn English with Podcasts！Sarah，说实话，你这周喝了几杯速溶咖啡？
[Sarah]: Too many to count. It is fast, cheap, and sweet. Why, is my coffee in trouble?
zh:多到数不清。又快又便宜还甜。怎么，我的咖啡出问题了吗？
[Mike]: Maybe. A new study from China says instant coffee may make you age faster, but filtered coffee may slow aging down.
zh:有可能。中国一项新研究说，速溶咖啡可能让你老得更快，但过滤咖啡可能延缓衰老。
[Sarah]: Wait, the same coffee, but different aging speed? That sounds crazy. Who did this study?
zh:等等，同是咖啡，衰老速度却不一样？这听起来太离谱了。是谁做的研究？
[Mike]: Researchers from Chongqing Medical University. They published it in the journal npj Food Science.
zh:重庆医科大学的研究人员。发表在《npj 食品科学》杂志上。
[Sarah]: Okay, so it is serious science. How many people did they study?
zh:好吧，这是正经科学。他们研究了多少人？
[Mike]: Almost 50,000 people from the UK Biobank. The average age was 56.4 years old.
zh:英国生物银行的近5万人。平均年龄56.4岁。
[Sarah]: 50,000 people, that is a big group. But how do you measure aging? You cannot just look at faces.
zh:5万人，样本很大。但衰老怎么测量？总不能只看脸吧。
[Mike]: Right, they used three science tools. First, telomere length in white blood cells. Think of telomeres like the plastic tips on shoelaces.
zh:对，他们用了三种科学指标。第一，白细胞端粒长度。可以把端粒想象成鞋带头上的塑料帽。
[Sarah]: Oh, I like that picture. When the tips break, the shoelaces fall apart. When telomeres get shorter, we age faster.
zh:哦，这个比喻很形象。鞋带帽坏了，鞋带就散了。端粒变短，人就老得更快。
[Mike]: Exactly. Second, biological age acceleration. Third, phenotypic age acceleration. Both check if your body is older than your real age.
zh:没错。第二，生物年龄加速度。第三，表型年龄加速度。两者都是看你的身体是不是比实际年龄更老。
[Sarah]: Got it. So what did they find? Is my instant coffee really bad?
zh:明白了。那他们发现了什么？我的速溶咖啡真不好吗？
[Mike]: Compared with people who drink no coffee, instant coffee drinkers had older biological age, older phenotypic age, and shorter telomeres.
zh:和不喝咖啡的人相比，喝速溶咖啡的人生物年龄更大、表型年龄更大，端粒也更短。
[Sarah]: That is the full package of faster aging. And filtered coffee? You mean hand-brewed coffee with a paper filter?
zh:这是加速衰老全套餐啊。那过滤咖啡呢？你是说用滤纸手冲的那种吗？
[Mike]: Yes, that kind. Filtered coffee drinkers had younger biological age, younger phenotypic age, and longer telomeres. It looked like slower aging.
zh:对，就是那种。喝过滤咖啡的人生物年龄更年轻、表型年龄更年轻，端粒也更长。看起来衰老更慢。
[Sarah]: Wow, same plant, opposite result. What about other coffees, like lattes from coffee shops?
zh:哇，同一种植物，完全相反的结果。那其他咖啡呢，比如咖啡店的拿铁？
[Mike]: The study found no clear link for other types. Only instant was faster, only filtered was slower.
zh:研究没发现其他种类和衰老速度有明显关系。只有速溶变快，只有过滤变慢。
[Sarah]: Why would that happen? Is it the coffee, or the way we make it?
zh:为什么会这样？是咖啡本身的问题，还是做法的问题？
[Mike]: The researchers have two ideas. Instant coffee may increase inflammation in the body, and inflammation speeds up aging.
zh:研究人员给了两个解释。速溶咖啡可能加重体内炎症，而炎症会加速衰老。
[Sarah]: And filtered coffee? What is special about a paper filter?
zh:那过滤咖啡呢？一张滤纸有什么特别？
[Mike]: Filtered coffee keeps more chlorogenic acid. That is a natural plant chemical. It may help cells stay active and use energy better.
zh:过滤咖啡保留了更多绿原酸。那是一种天然植物成分。可能帮助细胞保持活力、更好地代谢能量。
[Sarah]: So one hurts the body quietly, the other protects it quietly. Who should worry most?
zh:所以一个悄悄伤身体，一个悄悄保护身体。谁最该担心？
[Mike]: People who drink more than 3 cups of instant coffee every day. For them, being male, over 60 years old, or smoking made aging much faster.
zh:每天喝超过3杯速溶咖啡的人。对他们来说，男性、超过60岁或吸烟，会让衰老明显更快。
[Sarah]: Oh no, my uncle is 65, he smokes, and he lives on instant coffee. Three bags a day, at least.
zh:哦不，我叔叔65岁，抽烟，靠速溶咖啡续命。每天至少三袋。
[Mike]: Then this episode is for him. But do not panic. How we drink also matters. When is the best time for coffee?
zh:那这期就是为他准备的。不过别慌，怎么喝也很重要。什么时候喝咖啡最好？
[Sarah]: I drink it at midnight to finish work. Is that wrong?
zh:我都是半夜喝来赶工作。这不对吗？
[Mike]: That is the worst time. Caffeine needs about 8 hours to leave your body. Drink too late, and you cannot sleep at night.
zh:那是最差的时间。咖啡因需要约8小时才能代谢掉。喝太晚，晚上就睡不着了。
[Sarah]: So when do experts suggest? Morning?
zh:那专家建议什么时候喝？早上吗？
[Mike]: Yes, around 10 a.m. is great. And never drink on an empty stomach. Coffee makes your stomach produce more acid.
zh:对，早上10点左右很好。而且不要空腹喝。咖啡会刺激胃分泌更多胃酸。
[Sarah]: Right, breakfast first, coffee second. What about milk? I always add milk.
zh:对，先吃早饭，再喝咖啡。那加牛奶呢？我总加牛奶。
[Mike]: Milk is fine. Doctors also suggest three fun partners. Coconut water makes coffee softer and gives you minerals. Cocoa powder adds chocolate smell and fights bad chemicals.
zh:牛奶没问题。医生还推荐三个好搭档。椰子水让口感更柔，还能补电解质。可可粉增加巧克力香，还能抵抗自由基。
[Sarah]: And the third partner? Let me guess, sugar? Please say sugar.
zh:第三个搭档呢？我猜是糖？求你说是糖。
[Mike]: Sorry, no sugar. It is cinnamon powder. It smells sweet and warm, and it may fight inflammation too.
zh:抱歉，不是糖。是肉桂粉。闻起来又香又暖，还可能抗炎。
[Sarah]: Okay, cinnamon it is. How much coffee is safe in one day?
zh:好吧，那就肉桂。每天喝多少安全？
[Mike]: For healthy adults, 210 to 400 mg of caffeine per day. That is about 3 to 5 cups of coffee.
zh:健康成年人每天210到400毫克咖啡因。大约相当于3到5杯咖啡。
[Sarah]: And kids? Pregnant women?
zh:孩子呢？孕妇呢？
[Mike]: Pregnant women should drink less, or stop for a while. Kids from 12 to 18 years old should have no more than 100 mg per day, about 1 cup.
zh:孕妇要少喝或暂时不喝。12到18岁的青少年每天不超过100毫克，大约1杯。
[Sarah]: Who should just say no to coffee completely?
zh:哪些人干脆就别喝了？
[Mike]: People with too much stomach acid, stomach ulcers, acid reflux, diarrhea, bowel problems, bad sleep, or weak bones. Coffee can make these worse.
zh:胃酸过多、胃溃疡、胃反酸、腹泻、肠易激、睡眠差或骨质疏松的人。咖啡可能让这些更严重。
[Sarah]: Let me think about my uncle again. Instant, 3 bags a day, smoker, 65. He saves maybe 3 minutes every morning by not filtering.
zh:再想想我叔叔。速溶、每天3袋、抽烟、65岁。他每天早上省了做过滤咖啡的3分钟。
[Mike]: Yes, 3 minutes saved. But his cells may be paying for those 3 minutes, every single day.
zh:是，省了3分钟。但他的细胞可能每天都在为这3分钟买单。
[Sarah]: That hurts. The fastest coffee in the shop may be quietly stealing your time, not saving it.
zh:真扎心。店里最快的咖啡，可能不是在帮你省时间，而是在悄悄偷走你的时间。
[Mike]: Thanks for listening to Learn English with Podcasts today. Look at your own cup, is it instant or filtered?
zh:感谢今天收听 Learn English with Podcasts。看看你手里的那杯，是速溶还是过滤？
[Sarah]: See you next time. And if this made you think of someone, share it with them. Maybe over a good cup of filtered coffee.
zh:下期再见。如果这期让你想起某个人，就分享给他吧。最好约他喝一杯好的过滤咖啡。
