傳統中醫理論強調從飲食療法來調和人體的陰陽平衡，以達保健強身及未病先防的目標。食物寒熱屬性之區分源自人體對各種食物所產生的能量及生理變化之經驗累積，目前尚缺乏相關之科學數據佐證。本研究之目的在探討食用不同屬性之食物對心率變異之影響，透過科學研究方法驗證中醫理論中的食療保健觀念。本研究以寒涼性食材白蘿蔔及溫熱性食材老薑，分別調配成生蘿蔔汁、熟蘿蔔汁、熟蘿蔔加薑汁、熟薑汁及開水各250克之五組實驗樣本。招募20位健康大學生（男女各10人），每隔2天分別飲用不同五種實驗樣本。採受試者內(within subject design) 之前後測實驗設計，以paired t-test比較個別實驗樣本前後測心率變異之差異；以one-way ANOVA重複量數比較五組實驗樣本組間心率變異之差異。實驗結果發現，所有受試者在飲用開水及生蘿蔔汁後其心率變異參數未有顯著變化；而飲用熟蘿蔔汁、熟蘿蔔加薑汁及熟薑汁後之交感及副交感相關心率變異參數均有增加之現象，顯示熟蘿蔔及熟薑汁有促進自主神經活化的作用。熟蘿蔔汁與生蘿蔔汁之心率變異參數有統計上差異，在合併熟薑汁時更為明顯，顯示蘿蔔經加熱處理及併用熱性之薑汁後，對心率變異皆有不同之影響。以上結果驗證，傳統中醫食療保健觀念具有科學意義及參考價值存在，心率變異量測可作為評估食材對人體產生生理反應之參考依據。 Chinese TCM practitioners use dietary therapy to balance the body’s yin and yang, and to prevent diseases. The definitions of “warming＂ and ＂cooling” attributes of food do not refer merely to the food temperature, but also to its energetic properties. However, there is no scientific evidence to support this theory. The objective of this study was to establish a suitable scientific methodology to define the attributes of food ingredients by investigating the relationship between food attributes and heart rate variability (HRV) signals produced in healthy young subjects. White radish and ginger, which have cooling and warming attributes, respectively, were squeezed with water and filtered to make sample juices. Twenty college students were instructed to consume 250 grams of boiled water, raw white radish juice, cooked white radish juice, cooked white radish juice with ginger juice, and cooked ginger juice with water on five different visits. Paired t-test was used to analyze differences between the pre-test and post-test scores of each individual’s HRV. In addition, an ANOVA with repeated measurements was used to compare differences between the baselines of the five types of juices. The results show no significant changes in the HRV activities of subjects who drank boiled water and raw radish juice. On the other hand, results from the HRV analysis showed significant increases in the sympathetic and parasympathetic activities of subjects who drank cooked radish juice, cooked radish mixed with ginger juice and cooked ginger juice. Furthermore, statistical differences in HRV responses were found between subjects drinking cooked radish juice and raw radish juice. These differences were more obvious when they drank cooked radish juice mixed with cooked ginger juice. Our results indicated that TCM theories can be constructed through modern analysis, and the use of HRV is a promising method to classify attributes of food ingredients commonly used in Chinese dietary therapy.
