Coffee has been consumed for at least one and a half thousand years, and some say its impact is so great that it helped fuel the Enlightenment, which gave rise to some of the big ideas that underpin the world as we know it.

飲用咖啡至少有1500年的歷史，它的影響之大，不僅點燃啟蒙運動的開端，更奠基它產生了對世界的解釋等思想。

The main active ingredient of coffee is caffeine, which is considered the most widely consumed psychoactive drug on the planet.

咖啡的主要活性成分是咖啡因，目前被廣泛使用於精神藥物的活性成分。

So where does coffee come from, and what does it do to us when we drink it?

所以咖啡源自於何處，以及喝咖啡對我們有什麼影響呢？

Coffee comes from the fruit of the Kofir Arabica plant that originated in Ethiopia.

咖啡起源於衣索比亞的小果咖啡豆。

One story claims a 9th century goat herder called Kaldi saw his goats were more full of energy after eating coffee berries, so he had a bite too.

有一種說法聲稱，九世紀的一位名為Kaldi的牧羊者，他發現當飼養的羊隻山羊吃了咖啡漿果後變得精力充沛，所以他也吃了一口。。

Historic records suggest the Sufis of Yemen roasted the seed of the coffee berry to create the beverage we recognize today.

歷史記載表明，葉門的蘇菲派將咖啡漿果的種子烘焙成我們今天所認識的飲料。

In the 15th century, the first coffee houses began to appear across the Ottoman Empire before spreading to Europe in the following centuries.

15 世紀，第一批咖啡館出現在鄂圖曼帝國，隨後在 19 世紀傳到歐洲。

Coffee houses in Europe became a space for discussing business, politics and new ideas.

歐洲的咖啡館成為了討論商業、政治和新思想的空間。

One academic, Jürgen Habermas, even says without coffee we might not have had the Enlightenment.

一位學者，Jürgen Habermas，甚至說「如果沒有咖啡，我可能會就不會有啟蒙運動的產生」。

Philosophers like Kant and Voltaire, who is said to have drunk as many as 72 cups a day, started to question the Catholic Church's interpretation of the world.

像康德和伏爾泰這樣的哲學家，據說曾一天喝72杯咖啡，因此開始質疑天主教會對世界的解釋。

Instead, they looked to science, believing that everything in the universe could be rationally explained.

相反，他們寄希望於科學，相信宇宙萬物可以得到合理的解釋。

This so-called Age of Enlightenment radically changed the world as we knew it.

這即是所謂的啟蒙時代徹底改變了我們原本所熟知的世界。

It led to the overthrow of monarchs, the growth of democracy and numerous scientific discoveries.

它導致了君主政權被推翻、民主發展以及眾多科學發現。

Coffee also fuelled the slave trade.

同時咖啡也助長奴隸貿易

The French used slaves from Africa on plantations in Haiti and by the early 1800s, Brazil was producing a third of the world's coffee using African slaves.

18世紀初，法國人利用來自海地(Haiti)的非洲奴隸，巴西更是以非洲奴隸產出世界上三分之一的咖啡。

COFFEE

咖啡

Did coffee give rise to capitalism too?

咖啡也助長了資本主義嗎?

Companies started giving away coffee to their workers and eventually let them have coffee breaks.

公司開始向員工贈送咖啡，並最終讓他們有喝咖啡的時間。

This wasn't an altruistic move.

但並非力他之舉。

They were trying to increase worker productivity.

他們只是想嘗試提升人工產率

Fast forward to the present and 2 billion cups of coffee are consumed every day.

時至今日，人們每天要喝掉 20 億杯咖啡。

COFFEE

咖啡

It's a 90 billion dollars a year industry and, more than that, it is a fundamental social part of everyday life for billions of people.

這是一個年產值 900 億美元的產業。不僅如此，對於百億的人來說，這還是日常生活的基本的部分。

So, how does coffee impact the body?

那麼，咖啡對人體有什麼影響呢？

When caffeine enters your digestive system, it's absorbed via the intestine into the bloodstream.

當咖啡因進入消化系統後，會被小腸吸收進入人體的血液循環當中。

But the effects only start when caffeine hits the nervous system.

但只有當衝擊神經系統時，咖啡因才會起作用。

This happens because caffeine has a chemical structure very similar to that of a substance produced by our own body, adenosine.

會發生這個反應，主要是因為咖啡因與人體中的產生的物質「腺苷」具有相似的化學結構。

Caffeine binds to the body's adenosine receptors, which can be found on the surface of nerve cells.

在神經細胞表面可發現，咖啡因會與體內的腺苷受體結合。

It's like a key opening a lock.

它就像一把打開鎖的鑰匙。

Adenosine is known to slow down the sympathetic nervous system.

眾所皆知，腺苷可以減緩副交感神經系統。

It reduces your heart rate and generates a state of drowsiness and relaxation.

交感神經系統可降低心率，並促使人體放鬆，進入昏昏欲睡狀態。

By blocking these receptors, caffeine generates the opposite effect.

藉由阻斷這些受體，咖啡因可以產生完全相反的反應。

Your blood pressure, for example, may increase slightly, especially if you are not used to drinking coffee often.

例如，您的血壓可能會稍微升高，尤其沒有經常喝咖啡的習慣的人。

The same goes for brain activity.

腦部活動亦是如此

Caffeine stimulates the brain, suppresses hunger, and helps you stay in a state of alertness so you can concentrate for longer.

啡因會刺激大腦、抑制飢餓感，幫助你保持警覺狀態，促使你能有更長時間集中注意力。

Caffeine can have a positive impact on your mood, inhibit feelings of fatigue, and can improve physical performance.

咖啡因對以下方面亦有相當的影響的影響，如情緒，抑制疲勞感，並能提高身體機能。

So, many athletes use it as a supplement.

因此，許多運動員將其當作補充品。

These effects can last between 15 minutes and 2 hours.

他的影相可以持續15分鐘至兩小時

The body removes caffeine 5 to 10 hours after consuming it, but caffeine's residual effects can last even longer.

攝取咖啡因後，身體代謝約5至10小時，但他的殘餘作用可以持續更久。

If you want to optimise caffeine's effects on your body, experts suggest abstaining from caffeine in the afternoon so your cup of coffee the following morning has more impact.

如果您想優化咖啡因對身體的影響，專家建議在下午戒除咖啡因，這樣第二天早上的咖啡會產生更大的效果。

Coffee also requires care when it's drunk.

喝咖啡時也需要小心。

For healthy adults, the recommended maximum limit is 400mg of caffeine a day.

對於健康成人，咖啡因建議攝取上限為每日400毫克。

That's about 4 or 5 cups of coffee.

大約為4或5杯咖啡

Exceeding this limit can lead to side effects such as insomnia, nervousness, anxiety, tachycardia, stomach discomfort, nausea, and headache.

若超過上限可能導致副作用，如：失眠、神經質、焦慮、心搏過速、腸胃不是、嘔吐與頭痛等。

Toxic effects like seizures can be seen after the rapid consumption of around 1,200mg of caffeine.

若快速攝取1200毫克的咖啡因可能導致痙攣的不良反應。

That's the equivalent of around 12 cups of coffee.

相當於喝了12杯咖啡

Of course, these limits vary from person to person. Some people are genetically more sensitive to caffeine.

當然，攝取限制會因人而異。有些人可能因遺傳問題，會對咖啡因較一般人敏感。

But, when drunk in moderation, coffee can be good for your health.

但適當的攝取，咖啡仍對身體有益。

For instance, it's associated with a reduced risk for type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, some cancers, and Parkinson's.

例如，它與降低第 2 型糖尿病、心血管疾病、某些癌症和帕金森氏症的風險有關。

And these health gains aren't just linked to caffeine.

這些健康益處不僅與咖啡因有關。

Coffee has other beneficial substances such as chlorogenic acid, a potent antioxidant that may reduce the risk of many diseases.

咖啡還含有其他有益物質，例如綠原酸，這是一種有效的抗氧化劑，可以降低許多疾病的風險。

So, next time you grab a cup of coffee, you might not look at it the same again.

所以，下次你喝一杯咖啡時，你可能會不再看同樣的東西。