In a discovery that will give nutritionists the shivers, a Japanese scientist has discovered that consuming ice cream for breakfast improves a person's alertness and mental performance.

一位日本科学家的发现让营养学家们“不寒而栗”，他称，早餐摄入冰淇淋可以改善一个人的机敏度和思维表现。

Yoshihiko Koga, a professor at Tokyo's Kyorin University, has carried out a series of clinical trials in which test subjects were required to eat ice cream immediately after waking up.

东京杏林大学教授古贺佳彦进行了一系列临床实验，他要求测试者起床后立刻食用冰淇淋。

They were then put through a series of mental exercises on a computer.

随后让他们在电脑上进行一系列脑力测试。

Compared to a group that had not eaten ice cream, Prof Koga's subjects exhibited faster reaction times and better information-processing capabilities², the Excite News web site reported.

据Excite News网站报道，古贺佳彦发现，与没有摄入冰淇淋的一组相比，摄入冰淇淋的测试者反应速度更快，且处理信息的能力更强。

Monitoring of the subjects' brain activity revealed an increase in high-frequency alpha waves, which are linked to elevated levels of alertness and reduced mental irritation³.

监视显示，测试者大脑活动中的高频α波有所增加，这种脑波与提高灵敏度和降低精神刺激有关。

To examine the possibility that the test subjects' reactions were simply the result of the brain being shocked into higher levels of alertness by the low temperature of the ice cream, Prof Koga repeated the experiment with cold water instead of ice cream.

为了证明测试者的反应仅仅是因为大脑受到冰淇淋的低温刺激后灵敏度进入较高水平，古贺佳彦用冰水代替冰淇淋再次进行试验。

Test subjects who drank cold water did display a degree of increased alertness and mental capacity, although the levels were markedly lower than among subjects who started the day with ice cream.

喝冰水的受试者其灵敏度和思维能力的确有所提升，但是提升的水平明显低于早餐摄入冰淇淋的测试者。

Prof Koga is a specialist in psychophysiology, with his studies including looking into links between certain types of food and reduced stress.

古贺佳彦是一名心理生理学专家，他研究的内容包括寻找某种特定食物和减压之间的关联。

Another area of study is the connection between different foods and their impact on the ageing process.

他的另一个研究领域是研究不同食物对人类衰老过程的影响。

Prof Koga is continuing his research and has yet to determine a firm connection between the mental boost delivered by ice cream and a specific ingredient, while another explanation may lie in the sense that ice cream is a treat that triggers positive emotions and added energy.

古贺佳彦的研究仍在进行，他尚未确定提升脑力的是哪种具体原料，而另一种可能的解释是冰淇淋是可以激发积极情绪且补充能量的美味。

British nutritionists have reacted with some skepticism to Dr Koga's findings.

英国营养学家对古贺佳彦的发现存在一些质疑。

"A possible explanation (for increased alertness)... is the simple presence of consuming breakfast vs. not consuming breakfast," said Katie Barfoot, a Nutritional⁴ Psychology⁵ Doctoral Researcher at Reading University.

雷丁大学营养心理学博士凯蒂.巴富特表示，“（灵敏度有所提升的）一种可能解释是，这只是吃早餐和没吃早餐的表现。”

"Our brain needs glucose⁶ to function, and a high glucose meal will aid mental capacity considerably⁷ compared to a fasted brain.

“大脑工作时需要葡萄糖，而与未进食的大脑相比，高糖饮食可以大大提升大脑的思维能力。”

"This, however, does not condone⁸ eating dessert for breakfast. A study which explores the interaction between consumption of low and high GI foods, whilst including a fasted group, would establish a better understanding of this increased mental capacity."

“但是，这不是让我们早餐吃甜点。在研究摄入低糖食物和高糖食物的作用时，同时加入禁食组，有助于更好的理解思维能力提升的原因。”

There has already been some scientific research into why ice cream may have a positive mental effect on those who eat it.

一些科学研究已经对吃冰淇淋可能产生积极心理影响的原因进行了探索。

In 2005, neuroscientists at the Institute of Psychiatry⁹ in London scanned the brains of test subjects as they ate vanilla¹⁰ ice cream and saw immediate¹ results.

2005年，伦敦精神病学研究所神经科学家在测试者吃香草冰淇淋时扫描他们的大脑，观察即时反应。

The study found that eating ice cream activated¹¹ the same "pleasure spots" of the brain that are lit up by winning money, or listening to a favourite piece of music.

这项研究发现，吃冰淇淋激活了大脑中的“快乐区域”，这和赢钱或听喜欢的歌曲时激活的是同一区域。

"This is the first time that we've been able to show that ice cream makes you happy," Unilever spokesman Don Darling said at the time.

联合利华发言人唐.达林当时称，“这是我们首次证明，冰淇淋能够让你快乐。”

"Just one spoonful lights up the happy zones of the brain in clinical trials."

“在临床试验中，一勺冰淇淋即可激活大脑的快乐区。”

It's not the first time a study has suggested a high-calorie "dessert" could be better eaten in the morning, either - a 2012 study found that eating chocolate cake for breakfast could help you lose weight.

这也不是第一个表明早晨更适宜摄入高热量“甜点”的研究。2012年的一项研究发现，早餐吃巧克力蛋糕有助于减肥。