A hormone¹ found in chocolate could be the 'mental Viagra' that helps to get couples in the mood for sex.

在巧克力中发现一种堪称“精神伟哥”的激素，可以让爱侣们性欲大增。

Kisspeptin, which is found in chocolate, is the hormone in the brain which kickstarts puberty.

巧克力中发现的这种激素名为kisspeptin，也是大脑中催动青春期的激素。

And it may explain something about the behaviour of teenage boys, after scientists found it makes men much more interested in sex and relationships.

科学家们发现，这种激素让男人更热衷性生活和男女关系，也能在一定程度上解释青春期男孩的行为。

Young men injected with the hormone and then given brain scans showed a flurry of activity in the parts of the brain activated² by sexual arousal and romance.

被注射了这种激素的年轻男子大脑经过扫描发现，在被性唤起和浪漫事物激活的大脑部位有波动。

It means similar injections could be used to help men to start a family.

这意味着注射同样的激素可以用来帮助男性繁衍后代。

Professor Waljit Dhillo, the lead author of the research from Imperial College London, said: 'Our initial findings are novel and exciting as they indicate that kisspeptin plays a role in stimulating³ some of the emotions and responses that lead to sex and reproduction.

该研究的首席作者、伦敦帝国学院的沃尔吉特?迪洛教授说：“初期研究结果显示，kisspeptin能激起导致性行为和生育的一些情感和反应，这一发现新奇又令人振奋。

'Ultimately, we are keen to look into whether kisspeptin could be an effective treatment for psychosexual disorders⁴, and potentially help countless⁵ couples who struggle to conceive.'

“最终，我们将积极研究kisspeptin能否成为治疗性心理障碍的有效方法，从而可能帮助无数生育困难的夫妇脱离苦海。”

One in 10 men in the UK are believed to have sexual problems, many suffering a lack of libido⁶ caused by relationship issues, stress and anxiety.

据认为，十分之一的英国男人都有性问题，感情问题、压力和焦虑等因素导致许多男性缺乏性欲。

This can cause problems for couples trying for a child and advised to have regular sex throughout the month.

而缺乏性欲对于那些想要小孩、被建议每月定期进行性生活的夫妇来说则是个困扰。

But kisspeptin is hoped to hold the answer, following a trial involving 29 healthy young men.

在29个健康年轻男子身上进行试验后发现，kisspeptin有望解决这一难题。

Those injected with kisspeptin, discovered in the mid-1990s in Hershey, Pennsylvania, and named after sweets from the city called Hershey's Chocolate Kisses, reacted differently to sexual and non-sexual romantic pictures of couples.

那些注射了kisspeptin的男子对自己看到的夫妇色情图片和非色情图片的反应是不同的。Kisspeptin于20世纪90年代中期在宾夕法尼亚州的好时镇被发现，并以该市出产的好时之吻巧克力糖果的名字命名。

In an MRI scanner, where their brains were monitored, there was greater activity in the parts of the brain typically activated by sexual arousal and romance than the men given a placebo⁷.

核磁共振扫描发现，被注射kisspeptin的男性大脑中会被性唤起和浪漫事物激活的部位比那些服用安慰剂的男性有更大幅度的活动。

The effect is likely to come from kisspeptin's role in starting puberty, by stimulating the release of reproductive hormones⁸.

产生这一效果很可能是因为kisspeptin能够刺激生殖激素的释放，正如kisspeptin催动青春期时的作用一样。