Kids With High IQs Grow Up to Be Vegetarians
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（1） as young adults —— lowering their risk for cardiovascular（2） 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（3） habits," concluded lead author Catharine Gale, a senior research fellow at the MRC Epidemiology Resource Centre.
Recent studies suggest that vegetarianism may be associated with lower cholesterol（4）, 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.
"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（5） 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（6）, 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.
1. vegetarian：素食者
2. cardiovascular：心脏血管的
3. dietary：饮食的
4. cholesterol：胆固醇
5. strenuous：奋发的，精力充沛的
6. vegan：严格素食主意者，只食用植物制品
