Image: Advertolog BY JASMINE BAILEY If you thought you were drinking milk just to build strong bones—a new study shows it could help with a lot more. WOAI: “Countries where the people drink more milk actually won more Nobel Prizes. This came from the British Journal Practical Neurology.” For the study, researchers analyzed 2007 data on milk consumption in 22 countries and as the Los Angeles Times Points out — they found a strong correlation. “Take Sweden… Citizens there have won 31.855 prizes for every 10 million people. They also consume about 350 kilograms of milk each, on average, over the course of a year. At the other end of the spectrum is China, a country that has won a mere 0.060 Nobels per 10 million people and where the average person drinks less than 50 kilograms of milk per year.” But don’t make milk the main staple in your diet just yet. U.S. News notes— researchers stress that the findings don’t prove a cause-and-effect relationship, but merely a correlation.   They also note that once nation’s milk consumption reaches 772 pounds per person per year, its Nobel Prize winners no longer continues to increase. So, are the findings just a coincidence? Another theory is: “Higher levels of milk consumption may be a reflection of a strong educational system in a country … But they added that milk is rich in vitamin D, which research suggests may boost brain power.” But CBS News points out that not every country has vitamin D rich milk. “It’s a common misconception that milk has vitamin D. Milk is supplemented with vitamin D in some countries— like the United States. But in the United Kingdom milk has no vitamin D, yet that was very high up on the list.”   The study was spurred by previous findings published in TIME Magazine that associated chocolate consumption with Nobel Prize winners. “The country with the most Nobel laureates per 10 million people and the greatest chocolate consumption per capita: Switzerland. Sweden came in a close second..The U.S. fell somewhere in the middle…At the bottom of the list were China, Japan and Brazil.” Pretty similar to the most recent findings with milk. So, then would you have a greater chance of becoming a laureate if you drink chocolate milk? Well apparently… yes. The study’s author concluded by saying— “So to improve your chances of winning Nobel Prizes you should not only eat more chocolate but perhaps drink milk, too: or strive for synergy with hot chocolate…”