巧克力是數學成績提高的法寶

Bribing your child with a chocolate bar to finish his or her maths homework is an excellent idea, according to researchers who claim that the yummy treat could improve the brain's ability to do the most "dreadful" subject.
研究人員指出，用一塊巧克力賄賂孩子完成數學作業是個不錯的主意，因爲這種甜蜜的誘惑可以提高腦部的運算能力，藉以應對最可怕的題目。

The study, presented at the British Psychological Society annual conference, is great news for students who binge on chocolate when revising for exams.
該項研究成果在英國心理學會的年度會議上發佈，它對喜歡吃巧克力應考的學生來說無疑是非常好的消息。

For the study 30 volunteers were asked to count backwards in groups of three from a random number between 800 and 999 generated by a computer.
研究者對30名志願者進行試驗，通過電腦從數字800至999之間隨機選取數字，要求他們進行以三爲單位的遞減減法運算。

The findings show that they could do the calculations more quickly and more accurately after they had been given the drink.
研究發現，參加試驗者在喝了含黃烷醇的飲料後，他們計算的速度和準確率都有所提高。

However, the same was not true when the group was asked to count backwards in groups of seven, which the researchers described as a more complex task, requiring a slightly different part of the brain.
不過，當志願者進行以七爲單位的遞減減法運算時，這一差距不是那麼明顯。因爲後者屬於更爲複雜的運算，它和前者使用到的大腦部分有所不同。

The findings also show that the volunteers did not get as tired doing the calculations if they had been given the cocoa drink, despite being asked to do them over and over for an hour.
研究同時發現，如果志願者飲用了可可飲料，即使他們不停地做上一個小時的運算，也不容易產生疲勞感。

The flavanols work by increasing the flow of blood into the brain. Dark chocolate contains higher quantaties of the chemical than plain or milk chocolate.
黃烷醇能夠促進大腦的血液循環。黑巧克力比原味巧克力和牛奶巧克力的黃烷醇含量更高。

Prof David Kennedy at Northumbria University said that chocolate could be beneficial for mentally challenging tasks.
諾森比亞大學教授戴維·肯尼迪說：“對於那些耗費腦力的事情，巧克力或許能起到作用。”

The researchers gave the volunteers a total of 500mg of flavanol.
研究者讓志願者飲用了大約500毫克的黃烷醇。

Although the amount was too great to be found naturally in the diet, researchers said that people should ensure that they have lots of flavanols.
儘管這一劑量在日常飲食中很難達到，研究者們還是建議人們儘量多地攝取黃烷醇。

Emma Wightman, one of the study's lead researchers, said: "You can get bars of chocolate that have 100mg of flavanol, and we are also going to look at the effect of lower doses of flavanol on the brain."
該項研究的其中一個主導人艾瑪·懷特曼說：“讓人吃上幾條總共含有100毫克黃烷醇的巧克力，我們現在就是想知道低劑量的黃烷醇會對大腦產生怎樣的作用。”

"The more fruit and vegetables and things that are high in flavanols the better that is for your brain in the long run."
“長期來講，多食用含黃烷醇的水果和蔬菜對大腦會有促進作用。”