Study: Kids with high IQs grow up to be vegetarians

[one...two...tree 2,762]

HealthDay

As a child's IQ rises, his taste for meat in adulthood declines, a new study suggests.

British researchers have found that children's IQ predicts their likelihood of becoming vegetarians as young adults -- lowering their risk for cardiovascular disease in the process. The finding could explain the link between smarts and better health, the investigators say.

"Brighter people tend to have healthier dietary habits," concluded lead author Catharine Gale, a senior research fellow at the MRC Epidemiology Resource Centre of the University of Southampton and Southampton General Hospital.

Recent studies suggest that vegetarianism may be associated with lower cholesterol, reduced risk of obesity and heart disease. This might explain why children with high IQs tend to have a lower risk of heart disease in later life.

The report is published in the Dec. 15 online edition of the British Medical Journal.

"We know from other studies that brighter children tend to behave in a healthier fashion as adults -- they're less likely to smoke, less likely to be overweight, less likely to have high blood pressure and more likely to take strenuous exercise," Gale said. "This study provides further evidence that people with a higher IQ tend to have a healthier lifestyle."

In the study, Gale's team collected data on nearly 8,200 men and women aged 30, whose IQ had been tested when they were 10 years of age.

"Children who scored higher on IQ tests at age 10 were more likely than those who got lower scores to report that they were vegetarian at the age of 30," Gale said.

The researchers found that 4.5 percent of participants were vegetarians. Of these, 2.5 percent were vegan, and 33.6 percent said they were vegetarian but also ate fish or chicken.

There was no difference in IQ score between strict vegetarians and those who said they were vegetarian but who said they ate fish or chicken, the researchers add.

Vegetarians were more likely to be female, of higher social class and better educated, but IQ was still a significant predictor of being vegetarian after adjustment for these factors, Gale said.

"Vegetarian diets are associated with lower cardiovascular disease risk in a number of studies, so these findings suggest that a such a diet may help to explain why children or adolescents with a higher IQ have a lower risk of coronary heart disease as adults," Gale said.

One expert said the findings aren't the whole answer, however.

"This study left many unanswered questions such as: Did the vegetarian children grow up in a household with a vegetarian parent? Were meatless meals regularly served in the household? Were the children eating a primarily vegetarian diet at the age of 10?" said Lona Sandon, an assistant professor of clinical nutrition at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas.

"In addition, we don't know the beliefs or attitudes of the parents of the children, nor do we know if there was a particular event that led these children to becoming vegetarian in their teens or adulthood," Sandon said.

As the study showed, more women than men chose a vegetarian diet, Sandon noted. "Other research shows that women in general will focus more on their health than men. So, if they believe that a vegetarian diet will have health benefits, they are more likely to follow it," she said.

Given these factors, "we cannot draw any solid conclusions from this research," Sandon added.

Another expert agreed that a vegetarian diet is healthy.

"The evidence linking vegetarianism to good health outcomes is very strong," said Dr. David L. Katz, the director of the Prevention Research Center and an associate professor of public health at the Yale University School of Medicine.

"Studies, for example, of vegetarian Seventh-Day Adventists in California suggest that they have lower rates of almost all major chronic diseases, and greater longevity, than their omnivorous counterparts," Katz said. "Evidence is also strong and consistent that greater intelligence, higher education, and loftier social status - which tend to cluster with one another - also correlate with good health."

http://www.azcentral.com/offbeat/articles/...etarian-ON.html

[peejay 327]

The downside is that they are sniveling weaklings that have their a$$es kicked on a regular basis by muscular carnivores and they suffer from excessive flatulence from eating too many gassy veggies. But they make up for it by getting straight A's in calculus.

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

what about men like me who have low IQs, love meat and are still sniveling weaklings who got A's in calculus?

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

Nonsense. Every intelligent human can appreciate the value of a juicy piece of meat. Raw and bloody, please. I had my first taste of meat at less than 8 months of age and loved it ever since. And yes, I aced through math and science without ever even breaking a damn sweat. That theory is #######.

ETA: There was a time in my life where I could have gone off the path. That Indian gal I was seeing back when was a strict vegetarian and a damn good cook, too. I think could have lived on the stuff she cooked up without ever looking back. Not that I didn't eat meat while dating her but I sure had a lot less of it and more veggies. Felt bad after awhile, though, eating all those veggies leaving the poor animals out there with nothing to chew on.

Edited December 18, 2006 by ET-US2004

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

There was a time in my life where I could have gone off the path. That Indian gal I was seeing back when was a strict vegetarian and a damn good cook, too. I think could have lived on the stuff she cooked up without ever looking back. Not that I didn't eat meat while dating her but I sure had a lot less of it and more veggies. Felt bad after awhile, though, eating all those veggies leaving the poor animals out there with nothing to chew on.

Take it from an Indian male, Indian vegetarian food is definitely great but once you've had a burger and/or baby back ribs, there's no way you can live on palak paneer or alu dum forever. No way.

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

There was a time in my life where I could have gone off the path. That Indian gal I was seeing back when was a strict vegetarian and a damn good cook, too. I think could have lived on the stuff she cooked up without ever looking back. Not that I didn't eat meat while dating her but I sure had a lot less of it and more veggies. Felt bad after awhile, though, eating all those veggies leaving the poor animals out there with nothing to chew on.

Take it from an Indian male, Indian vegetarian food is definitely great but once you've had a burger and/or baby back ribs, there's no way you can live on palak paneer or alu dum forever. No way.

As I said, besides missing a good cut of meat, I felt bad for depriving the poor animals' of their food sources.

[mawilson 2,133]

As I said, besides missing a good cut of meat, I felt bad for depriving the poor animals' of their food sources.

And I feel bad robbing the poor animals of their raison d'être.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

Perhaps this is a misconception but I've always imagined vegetarians to be more "health conscious". I mean, if you only eat fruits and vegetables there's a fair chance you have a nutritionally superior diet.

[Alex+R 0]

Perhaps this is a misconception but I've always imagined vegetarians to be more "health conscious". I mean, if you only eat fruits and vegetables there's a fair chance you have a nutritionally superior diet.

Tell that to my overweight vegan friend who eats only carbs.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

Perhaps this is a misconception but I've always imagined vegetarians to be more "health conscious". I mean, if you only eat fruits and vegetables there's a fair chance you have a nutritionally superior diet.

Tell that to my overweight vegan friend who eats only carbs.

There you go - another illusion shattered

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

As I said, besides missing a good cut of meat, I felt bad for depriving the poor animals' of their food sources.

And I feel bad robbing the poor animals of their raison d'être.

Good point, would hate for them to feel useless.

[one...two...tree 2,762]

what about men like me who have low IQs, love meat and are still sniveling weaklings who got A's in calculus?

[chri'stina 190]

Perhaps this is a misconception but I've always imagined vegetarians to be more "health conscious". I mean, if you only eat fruits and vegetables there's a fair chance you have a nutritionally superior diet.

Tell that to my overweight vegan friend who eats only carbs.

Yeah I know people like that too. They are vegetarians and at one time were vegans, and are not thin or in shape at all. Some vegetarians I have known will be like,"Oh let's have donuts for dinner..."

[Jenn! 918]

Perhaps this is a misconception but I've always imagined vegetarians to be more "health conscious". I mean, if you only eat fruits and vegetables there's a fair chance you have a nutritionally superior diet.

Tell that to my overweight vegan friend who eats only carbs.

Yeah I know people like that too. They are vegetarians and at one time were vegans, and are not thin or in shape at all. Some vegetarians I have known will be like,"Oh let's have donuts for dinner..."

One of my college roommates was a vegetarian. One of her typical meals was pretzels with cheese melted all over them. Yeah, she basically ate carbs and cheese.

But I don't dispute the claims of the article. It makes sense to me generally.

[chri'stina 190]

I do agree with some aspects of the article. Sujeet is a vegetarian, but I am not. I eat mostly vegetarian stuff with the occasional chicken meal or deli sandwich. I think our IQs are both decent. He is very good at math and logic, but I am good at science, history, literature, and only some math. I think his reasons are more cultural than anything. It grosses him out to think of eating meat, and his family does not eat meat, though at one time he did occasionally eat meat and eggs when he was young. But generally I don't think he is much healthier than me. He does eat a lot of carbs.

Edited December 18, 2006 by stina&suj