Ben Donald, 11, of Maplewood, N.J., bites into a chocolate covered marshmallow at the annual Chocolate Show in a file photo.

Chocolate lovers rejoice. A new study hints that eating milk chocolate may boost brain function.

"Chocolate contains many substances that act as stimulants, such as theobromine, phenethylamine, and caffeine," Dr. Bryan Raudenbush from Wheeling Jesuit University in West Virginia.

"These substances by themselves have previously been found to increase alertness and attention and what we have found is that by consuming chocolate you can get the stimulating effects, which then lead to increased mental performance."

To study the effects of various chocolate types on brain power, Bryan Raudenbush and colleagues had volunteers in four groups separately consume 85 grams of milk chocolate; 85 grams of dark chocolate; 85 grams of carob; and nothing (the control condition).

After a 15-minute digestive period, participants completed a variety of computer-based neuropsychological tests designed to assess cognitive performance including memory, attention span, reaction time, and problem solving ability.

"Composite scores for verbal and visual memory were significantly higher for milk chocolate than the other conditions," Raudenbush said.

And consumption of milk and dark chocolate was associated with improved impulse control and reaction time, according to the research.

爱吃巧克力的人们可以欢呼了。最新一项研究表明，吃牛奶巧克力可以增强脑功能。

西弗吉尼亚威林耶稣大学的布莱恩博士说：“巧克力内含有很多具有兴奋作用的物质，如可可碱、苯已基以及咖啡因。”

“先前的研究已发现，这些物质能让人变得更加机敏，并能增强注意力。而我们的最新研究表明，吃巧克力能够让人感到兴奋，从而使人的脑力表现得到提高。”

为了研究不同种类巧克力对于人脑力的影响，布莱恩·兰登布什及其他研究人员将参与实验的志愿者分为四组，其中三组分别摄入85克牛奶巧克力、85克黑巧克力和85克角豆粉（一种可食用的粉状物质，用角豆树的种子和角豆荚磨制而成，常用作巧克力的替代品）；还有一组不吃任何东西。

经过15分钟的消化后，志愿者们完成了一系列神经心理学的计算机测试，这些测试旨在对他们的记忆力、注意力持久度、反应时间以及解决问题能力等认知表现进行评估。

兰登布什说：“食用牛奶巧克力的实验对象在语言和视觉记忆力方面的综合得分大大高于其他三个小组。”

此外，研究还发现，食用牛奶巧克力和黑巧克力还有助于增强冲动控制能力，提高反应速度。