High IQ link to being vegetarian

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http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/6180753.stm

 

High IQ link to being vegetarian

Intelligent children are more likely to become

vegetarians later in life, a study says.

A Southampton University team found those who were

vegetarian by 30 had recorded five IQ points more on

average at the age of 10.

 

Researchers said it could explain why people with

higher IQ were healthier as a vegetarian diet was

linked to lower heart disease and obesity rates.

 

The study of 8,179 was reported in the British Medical

Journal.

 

Twenty years after the IQ tests were carried out in

1970, 366 of the participants said they were

vegetarian - although more than 100 reported eating

either fish or chicken.

 

Men who were vegetarian had an IQ score of 106,

compared with 101 for non-vegetarians; while female

vegetarians averaged 104, compared with 99 for

non-vegetarians.

 

 

We've always known that vegetarianism is an

intelligent, compassionate choice benefiting animals,

people and the environment

Liz O'Neill, of The Vegetarian Society

 

There was no difference in IQ score between strict

vegetarians and those who said they were vegetarian

but who reported eating fish or chicken.

 

Researchers said the findings were partly related to

better education and higher occupational social class,

but it remained statistically significant after

adjusting for these factors.

 

Vegetarians were more likely to be female, to be of

higher occupational social class and to have higher

academic or vocational qualifications than

non-vegetarians.

 

However, these differences were not reflected in their

annual income, which was similar to that of

non-vegetarians.

 

Lead researcher Catharine Gale said: " The finding that

children with greater intelligence are more likely to

report being vegetarian as adults, together with the

evidence on the potential benefits of a vegetarian

diet on heart health, may help to explain why higher

IQ in childhood or adolescence is linked with a

reduced risk of coronary heart disease in adult life. "

 

 

Intelligence

 

However, she added the link may be merely an example

of many other lifestyle preferences that might be

expected to vary with intelligence, such as choice of

newspaper, but which may or may not have implications

for health.

 

Liz O'Neill, of the Vegetarian Society, said: " We've

always known that vegetarianism is an intelligent,

compassionate choice benefiting animals, people and

the environment.

 

" Now we've got the scientific evidence to prove it.

Maybe that explains why many meat-reducers are keen to

call themselves vegetarians when even they must know

that vegetarians don't eat chicken, turkey or fish. "

 

But Dr Frankie Phillips, of the British Dietetic

Association, said: " It is like the chicken and the

egg. Do people become vegetarian because they have a

very high IQ or is it just that they tend to be more

aware of health issues? "

 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/6180753.stm