Scientists in Tsukuba, Japan, kept 16 laboratory rats awake for 24 hours, by keeping them in a cage filled with an inch of water, then exposed half of them to the smell of roasted coffee.
日本筑波的科学家们把16只小白鼠放到有1英寸深的水的笼子里,这样保证它们24小时不睡觉。然后,将一半的老鼠放在烘培咖啡的香气中。
After taking samples of the rats' brains, they found that the smell of coffee boosted the activity of key genes that promote cell survival in the body and reduce anxiety.
在对小白鼠大脑取样后,他们发现咖啡的气味,增强了关键基因的活动,这种基因活动可以促进体内细胞存活,并且减少焦虑。
Professor Yoshinori Masuo, who led the study in Tsukuba, Japan, said that when people drink coffee to stay up all night, just the smell of the coffee could alleviate some of the stress caused by sleeplessness.
领导日本筑波研究团队的益男教授说,当人们为了熬夜而喝咖啡时,仅仅是咖啡的味道就会减轻由不睡觉而产生的压力。
He added: "Is it better for us to smell coffee bean aroma than to drink coffee, or would any other food-related odour produce similar effects? Further studies are needed."
他补充说:“闻咖啡豆的气味要比喝咖啡更好。但是否其他食物的气味会产生类似的效应呢?这还需要进一步的研究。”