Mental Health

Higher Milk-Consuming Nations Produced More Nobel Prize Winners?

By Staff Reporter | Update Date: Jan 15, 2013 11:24 AM EST

Nations that have a high consumption of milk in any form also tend to have a significantly larger amount of Nobel Prize winners among them. In a letter published in Practical Neurology, the author mentioned that a research published in the New England Journal of Medicine in the previous year was the source of speculation.

The Journal mentioned that there was a link between the amount of chocolate consumed by a nation and the amount of Nobel Laureates that a nation produces. The research also puts forward the theory that the flavonoid content in chocolate increases the strength of the brain.

The author thought that since chocolate is a common ingredient in milk products, there could be a relation between milk consumption and Nobel winners as well. The database taken for this research was from the Food and Agriculture Organization in 2007 and constituted 22 countries. The per capita milk consumption was taken, as well as the data from the researcher who found the association between chocolates and Nobel winners.

Finland seemed to be the only exception, where the milk consumption of 350 kg a year did not correlate to Nobel winners from that country.

The people in Sweden consumed 340 kg milk a year and have had 33 Nobel winners, which was the highest. However, some might find an element of bias there, as it's the same place where the Nobel Prize distribution ceremony takes place.

Close to Sweden is Switzerland, which has milk consumption per capita of 300 kg and has produced 32 Nobel Laureates so far. China on the other hand, has the lowest amount of Nobel Winners, as well as the lowest milk consumption record.

Milk has a high amount of vitamin D which might increase brain power, so the theory might have a scientific basis.

"So to improve your chances of winning Nobel prizes you should not only eat more chocolate but perhaps drink too or strive for synergy with hot chocolate," the author concludes.

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