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(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- A higher IQ at age 10 makes a child more likely to be a vegetarian at the age of 30, according to new research. Study authors are not sure why there is this link but report a number of factors could be involved.
Recent research suggests vegetarianism may be linked to lower cholesterol levels and a reduced risk of obesity and heart disease. This could explain why children who have higher IQs tend to have lower heart disease later in life -- they are more likely to be a vegetarian.
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For the study, researchers included 8,179 men and women who were 30 years old and had their IQ tested when they were 10 years old. Researchers report at the age of 30 about 5 percent of the participants said they were vegetarian. Those with higher IQ at age 10 had an increased likelihood of being a vegetarian as an adult. The vegetarians were also more likely to be female, to be of higher occupational social class, and have higher academic and vocational qualifications. However, there was no difference in overall incomes.
Researchers say this finding could explain why higher IQ children have better heart health. They also say it could just be an example of lifestyle preferences that might be expected to vary with intelligence.
SOURCE: British Medical Journal, published online Dec. 13, 2006
This article was reported by Ivanhoe.com, who offers Medical Alerts by e-mail every day of the week. To subscribe, go to: http://www.ivanhoe.com/newsalert/.
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