Building on the findings of a 2012 report linking chocolate consumption with Nobel success, British researchers compared Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) milk per capita data from 22 countries with information provided by the author of the chocolate theory, Franz Messerli.
They found that Sweden, which boasts 33 Nobel laureates per 10m population, also consumes 340kg of milk each year - the most milk per head in the world. Switzerland, which has an enviable Nobel Prize haul of 32, consumes 300kg of milk per head per year.
China, which consumes just 25kg of milk per head per year, boasts no Nobel Prize winners.
The researchers, from Gloucester Royal Hospital, claim that there is a “plausible biological mechanism” for the correlation – suggesting the proven link between vitamin D-rich milk and improved cognitive behaviour.
“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?” said the letter.