巧克力在什么时候吃补脑效率最好（意大利新研究发现巧克力对大脑健康有好处）

意大利科学家发现证据表明，每天摄入一定量的可可，作为一种膳食补充剂，能对抗不同类型的认知衰退。

Italian scientists have found evidence that a daily dose of Cocoa acts as a dietary supplement to counteract different types of cognitive decline.

早在2017年，研究小组就发现，定期吃可可与改善工作记忆和视觉信息处理有关，而且对特定人群尤为有效。

Back in 2017, the team found that regularly eating cocoa was linked to improvements in working memory and visual information processing and cocoa could be particularly beneficial for certain people.

可可，是从可可树上提取的烘干和发酵后的可可豆，用于制作美味的巧克力点心。大家研究可可已经研究得很透了，试问谁会不想研究它呢？

Cocoa, is the dried and fermented bean from the cocoa tree used to make delicious chocolate treats. Cocoa has been studied extensively because, well, who wouldn't want that job.

这些年来，人们发现可可豆中的一系列天然化学物质具有治疗作用。

Over the years, it has been found that a range of naturally occurring chemicals in the cocoa bean have therapeutic effects.

例如，人们发现黑巧克力中的多酚可以促进镇静和满足感，黄烷醇能够逆转年龄导致的记忆衰退。

For example, polyphenols in dark chocolate were found to increase calmness and contentedness and flavanols were able to reverse age-related memory decline.

在你以此为借口暴风吸入人类极限的量的巧克力之前，记住巧克力还含有可可碱，它是一种有毒的化学物质。虽然有风险，但你得吃85根标准尺寸的巧克力棒才会中毒。

Before you start using this an excuse to scoff as much chocolate as humanly possible, just remember that chocolate also contains theobromine, a toxic chemical. Though to be at risk of poisoning yourself, you'd have to eat about 85 full sized chocolate bars.

在这项研究中，研究小组查阅了有关可可黄烷醇急性和慢性服用对大脑活动的影响的文献，更具体地说，如果你长期服用可可黄烷醇会发生什么。

In the study, the team looked through the literature for effects of acute and chronic administration of cocoa flavanols on brain activity and, more specifically, what happens if you do this over a long period of time.

科学家们发现，有足够的证据支持主张可可健康的说法，尤其是可可中所含的黄烷醇化合物。

The scientists found that there was enough evidence to support the health claims attributed to cocoa, and, in particular, the flavanol compounds it contains.

他们注意到，食用可可黄烷醇后，工作记忆的表现有所改善，视觉信息处理也有所改善。效果因受测人口而异。

They noticed enhancements in working memory performance and improved visual information processing after consuming cocoa flavanols. The benefits varied depending on the demographic being tested.

对老年人来说，长期摄入可可黄烷醇可以提高注意力、心理处理能力、工作记忆和语言流利度，对那些有轻度认知障碍或开始失忆的人最有好处。

For the elderly, it turns out that long term ingestion of cocoa flavanols improved attention, mental processing, working memory and verbal fluency and was most beneficial in those who had mild cognitive impairments or the beginnings of memory loss.

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