According to new research published in The New England Journal of Medicine, it may be possible to estimate the number of Nobel Prize winners in a given population based on the amount of chocolate that population consumes. Results from a statistical analysis showed there is a “significant linear correlation (r=0.791) between chocolate consumption per capita and the number of Nobel laureates per 10 million persons in a total of 23 countries.” While Switzerland ranked at the top of the list for both chocolate consumption and Nobel Prizes, China made the bottom for both categories. The study hypothesized the link was based on the ability of chocolate to improve cognitive function. Dietary flavonoids found in cocoa have been shown to enhance cognitive performance and even reverse some of the cognitive impairments associated with aging.  

Read it in NEJM.