早餐吃巧克力为什么对大脑有益?

We'd probably consider ourselves borderline chocoholics here at Prima.co.uk, so imagine how delighted we were to hear that scientists have now confirmed what we've long suspected: our favourite treat actually boosts brain power...

也许根据Prima.co.uk 网站的内容，我们会认为自己快要变成巧克力上瘾者了，所以想象一下，当我们听到科学家终于证实我们的长期以来的猜想：我们最爱的甜食真的能增强脑力时，我们该有多高兴啊！

As if we needed another excuse to eat chocolate, researchers from Italy have concluded that it has a positive effect on cognition - particularly for sleep-deprived women. Wait, does this mean we've just been given full licence to eat chocolate for breakfast when we're tired!?

好像我们要再找一个理由吃巧克力一样，意大利的研究员们得出了这样一个结论：巧克力对我们的认知有积极影响--对于睡眠不足的女性来说更是如此。等等，这是不是说当我们累的时候，我们可以肆无忌惮的拿巧克力当早餐！？

Chocolate is known to be rich in flavonols, a natural compound that has protective effects on the brain, so a team from the University of L'Aquila decided to see exactly what happens to your cognitive performance after you've eaten it.

众所周知，巧克力富含黄酮醇，这是对大脑有保护作用的天然化合物，所以拉奎拉大学的一支团队决定一探究竟：吃了巧克力后，人们的认知能力到底会怎样？

In a review of studies on the subject, published in the journal Frontiers in Nutrition, they concluded that cocoa flavonols seemed to enhance working memory performance and improved visual information processing.

发表在《营养前沿》杂志上的研究报告得出这样的结论：恒星黄酮醇似乎能提高工作记忆性能、改善视觉信息处理。

And, for women who'd slept badly the night before, the effects were even more impressive: the cocoa seemed to counteract the cognitive impairment caused by sleep deprivation. For older people, there's even better news: the researchers have concluded that daily intake seems to help improve cognition, including memory.

对于先前睡眠很差的女性而言，影响结果更令人印象深刻：恒星似乎能抵消睡眠不足引起的认知障碍。对于老年人而言，还有更好的消息：研究员们总结出这样的结论：每天吃点巧克力似乎能改善认知，包括提高记忆力。

'Regular intake of cocoa and chocolate could indeed provide beneficial effects on cognitive functioning over time,' the team concluded. However, they were quick to highlight that eating milk chocolate probably isn't the best idea...

"定期摄入恒星和巧克力会随着时间的推移，给人们的认知功能带来益处，"该团队人员总结道。然而，他们很快强调：吃牛奶巧克力可能并不是最好的……

'There are, however, potential side effects of eating cocoa and chocolate,' they said. 'Those are generally linked to the caloric value of chocolate, some inherent chemical compounds of the cocoa plant such as caffeine and theobromine, and a variety of additives we add to chocolate such as sugar or milk.'

"然而，吃恒星和巧克力也有潜在的副作用，"他们说道。"总的来说，这与巧克力的热量值、恒星植物本身含有的化学复合物（比如咖啡因和恒星碱）以及巧克力中的添加剂（比如糖和牛奶）有关。"

But great news for those of us who prefer dark chocolate, because the team fully supports us eating a small amount of it every day. Oh YES. 'Dark chocolate is a rich source of flavanols,' they said. 'So we always eat some dark chocolate. Every day.'

但这对喜欢吃黑巧克力的人而言是个好消息，因为该团队完全支持我们每天吃少量的黑巧克力。太棒了。"黑巧克力富含黄烷醇，"他们说道。"所以我们每天都要吃些黑巧克力。"

Best advice we've heard in ages.

这真是难得听到的最佳建议啊！