A cup of coffee is what millions of us rely on to kick-start the day. But new research shows that morning pick-me-up has a much more potent effect on the brain if it is taken with sugar. Scientists at the University of Barcelona in Spain found taking caffeine and sugar at the same time boosted the brain's performance more than taking them on their own. Researchers now believe each one boosts the effect of the other on brain functions such as attention span and working memory.

The findings come from brain scans carried out on 40 volunteers who were tested after they had coffee with sugar, coffee without sugar, sugar on its own or just plain water. The results, published in the journal Human Psychopharmacology: Clinical and Experimental, suggest sugar-sweetened coffee may be the best way to prepare the brain for a busy day ahead. But it's likely that coffee lovers who do not take sugar will get the same benefits from enjoying a sugary snack with their drink.

Previous studies have even suggested three cups of a coffee a day can significantly reduce the risk of Alzheimer's disease, possibly by triggering a chain reaction in the brain that prevents the damage done by the disease. It's also well known that glucose, a type of sugar, is the main fuel which brain cells need to function properly.

相關(guān)中文：

我們都知道，一杯香濃的咖啡可以讓白領(lǐng)每日開始工作的時候神清氣爽，咖啡能提神的作用一直得到人們認(rèn)同。近日，有來自西班牙的科學(xué)家為“咖啡提神”提供新證據(jù)，他們證實(shí)咖啡加糖可以加速大腦活動、集中注意力、顯著提高記憶力。

科學(xué)家做實(shí)驗(yàn)，讓40位志愿者分別飲用了有糖咖啡、無糖咖啡、糖、以及純凈水，然后提取了他們的腦部掃描圖。科學(xué)家發(fā)現(xiàn)飲用有糖咖啡的人精力充沛，活力四射。此外，即使喜歡喝苦咖啡（無糖咖啡）的人同樣可以精力充沛，只要他們喝咖啡的時候搭配點(diǎn)心就可以了。

有報(bào)道顯示，每人每日三杯咖啡，有助于減少患上“老年癡呆癥”的機(jī)率。此外我們也得知，葡萄糖也是大腦能正常運(yùn)行的“營養(yǎng)劑，“咖啡和糖”兩者的完美結(jié)合是不是最佳搭配我們還不能下定論，然而這個研究的確給熱愛咖啡的人們帶來了太多安慰。