Vegetarians are smarter than meat eaters

[Skyhunter]

According to recent study, vegetarians average 5 IQ points higher than meat chompers.

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

A Southampton University team found those who were vegetarian by 30 had recorded five IQ points more on average at the age of 10.

But I already knew that.

 

[Anttech]

bah :)

So what happened to you then Sky?

 

[brewnog]

No great surprise, but it must be recognised that the study doesn't actually assess the effects of eating meat; it's not shown to be a cause and effect relationship.

 

[SpaceTiger]

According to recent study, vegetarians average 5 IQ points higher than meat chompers.

That shouldn't be very surprising. It's much easier to be vegetarian in open-minded and intellectual environments, where smart people often end up. I'd like to see this done with more control for environment.

 

[J77]

Veggies are paler <--- that's a Friday fact!

 

[physics girl phd]

Special case of cause-effect for the opposite:
Since starting to eat more meat again... I feel I've been getting smarter.
I'm eating more meat because I'm now sharing my meals with a smart man... :!) and the dialogue during such meals is making me smarter.

 

[EmilK]

10 out of 9 are fooled by statistics

 

[Evo]

First the title of the article is misleading, It states "High IQ link to being vegetarian", but then listed these scores which are low average IQ "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."

Also, eating a vegetarian diet doesn't raise your IQ, the article states that more people that tested with average IQ's (sorry 104-106 is NOT a high IQ) chose to be vegetarian, and some that claimed to be vegetartian also included chicken and fish in their diets!

IQ scores of 90-110 are AVERAGE.

I've always been a vegetable lover, but sometimes meat is the only thing that will hit the spot.

 

[arildno]

Of course it is true. We meat-eaters are put together with that segment of the population that frequents MacDonald's..

 

[Evo]

Of course it is true. We meat-eaters are put together with that segment of the population that frequents MacDonald's..

I don't think that's meat...

 

[arildno]

But THEY don't know that, and identify themselves as meat-eaters all the same, lowering our average wrt. to the rabbits.

 

[Evo]

But THEY don't know that, and identify themselves as meat-eaters all the same, lowering our average wrt. to the rabbits.

 

[Danger]

This can't be right. I'm going to have to sit me down with a rack of ribs and think on it a mite.

 

[turbo]

No venison for me this year - the deer managed to elude me this season. Maybe they're smarter than me because they are vegetarians?

 

[DaveC426913]

The vegetarians scored higher on the IQ tests because they're herd animals. Didn't the experimenter notice that there were five of them all gathered around the same test paper??

 

[Jimmy Snyder]

The study does not imply that if you become a vegetarian before you are 30, it will improve your IQ score when you were 10. What it does imply (whether it's true is another question) is that if you are hiring people and want an extra 5 IQ points without actually running an IQ test, you should choose people who were vegetarian before they were 30. That is, assuming that the advantage at 10 hasn't dissipated.

 

[jim mcnamara]

DaveC is right - it's essentially a meaningless study (if you want to call it that).

 

[Mk]

I wonder what the margin of error was for this study anyway?

We all know there's more vegetarians in California than hicktown or Africa. It's demographics.

 

[Francis M]

First the title of the article is misleading, It states "High IQ link to being vegetarian", but then listed these scores which are low average IQ "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."

Also, eating a vegetarian diet doesn't raise your IQ, the article states that more people that tested with average IQ's (sorry 104-106 is NOT a high IQ) chose to be vegetarian, and some that claimed to be vegetartian also included chicken and fish in their diets!

IQ scores of 90-110 are AVERAGE.

I've always been a vegetable lover, but sometimes meat is the only thing that will hit the spot.

B]and some that claimed to be vegetartian also included chicken and fish in their diets![/B] Are these the smart, average or the below average vegetarians that included fish and chicken in their diet... of course the next question is, how much did these folks skew the data :

 

[Yonoz]

http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/abstract/bmj.39030.675069.55v1"

 

[tehno]

I love raw meat.Yummy!
Does that mean I'm dumb?

Well,one way or another,I've heard that meat-eaters are more aggresive than vegeterians.
And I don't think for myself I'm too aggressive person .

 

[Chi Meson]

What a below-average interlligence survey. Obviously carried out by meat-eaters!

[I'm attempting the irony trifecta!]

 

[turbo]

You win Chi [handing Chi a plate of my hickory-smoked BBQ pork]

 

[Moonbear]

I wonder what the margin of error was for this study anyway?

Me too. I'd like to see error bars! There's a much smaller population of vegetarians, and tend to glom together, while the meat eaters are much more diverse, so I'd expect a rather large error range for the meat eaters that would entirely bracket the vegetarian range. Otherwise, as Evo pointed out, all those numbers show is that on average, people are average.

 

[Evo]

Here is a more in depth article.

"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."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/hsn/20061215/hl_hsn/kidswithhighiqsgrowuptobevegetarians

 

[moose]

It takes some serious mental power to convince yourself to go against your instinct and not eat meat. That is my explanation :)

 

[Rach3]

Of course vegetables are smarter than meat-eaters!

 

[MeJennifer]

Of course vegetables are smarter than meat-eaters!

They are crunchier too.

 

[Skyhunter]

bah :)

So what happened to you then Sky?

I am not a vegetarian.

I am vegan.

 

[Skyhunter]

No great surprise, but it must be recognised that the study doesn't actually assess the effects of eating meat; it's not shown to be a cause and effect relationship.

Actually it was the average IQ a the age of 10. But I agree it is a fairly meaningless study. I just started the thread to see what the reactions here would be.

 

[Skyhunter]

I wonder what the margin of error was for this study anyway?

We all know there's more vegetarians in California than hicktown or Africa. It's demographics.

The study was conducted in Great Britain.

 

[Skyhunter]

I don't think that's meat...

I don't even think it is food.

 

[Skyhunter]

http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/abstract/bmj.39030.675069.55v1"

Thanks Yunoz.

Here is the whole study in PDF form.

http://press.psprings.co.uk/bmj/december/vegetarian.pdf

 

[Evo]

On average, vegetarians had a higher childhood IQ score
than non-vegetarians.According to sex, the mean (SD)
childhood IQ score of vegetarians compared with nonvegetarians
was 106.1 (14.7) and 100.6 (15.2) for men and 104.0
(14.1) and 99.0 (14.7) for women, differences of 5.5 and 5.0
points (P < 0.001).

So a small portion of mid-average IQ kids now claim to be vegetarian.

Kids that are now vegan had scores averaging 10 points lower, or almost in the "Dullness" category.When vegetarians were divided into those who were strictly vegetarian (no fish or meat) and those who consumed fish or
chicken, no difference was found in IQ score.Among those who
had taken vegetarianism to its logical conclusion (“gone the
whole hog,”, as it were) and become vegan (no animal products),
mean IQ scores were lower.On average, vegans had a childhood
IQ score that was nearly 10 points lower than other vegetarians:
mean (SD) IQ score 95.1 (14.8) in vegans compared with 104.8
(14.1) in other vegetarians (P = 0.04), although this estimate must
be viewed with caution as only nine participants were vegan.

IQ Range Classification

140 and over Genius or near genius
120-140 Very superior intelligence
110-120 Superior intelligence
90-110 Normal or average intelligence
80-90 Dullness
70-80 Borderline deficiency
Below 70 Definite feeble-mindedness

http://members.shaw.ca/delajara/IQBasics.html

 

[DaveC426913]

I don't even think it is food.

Sure it is.
It's a food, a packaging wrap and a disinfectant. It just depends on what colour additive you use.

 

[Moonbear]

When vegetarians were divided into those who were strictly vegetarian (no fish or meat) and those who consumed fish or
chicken, no difference was found in IQ score.
http://members.shaw.ca/delajara/IQBasics.html

So, doesn't that say there's no difference? If you eat fish and chicken, you're NOT a vegetarian, even if you claim to be, so if they don't find any difference in those groups, there's no effect. I would guess those two groups are probably closer matched for vegetable eating, so it could be an effect of childhood IQ on healthy food choices later in life. Though, do they say anything about their IQ as adults?

I'm still sticking with my earlier interpretation that it suggests that on average, people are average. All of those averages are within the average IQ range. I don't think it would mean anything anyway, even if they saw a huge difference between the groups. What would you do with the results? Having a particular IQ at 10 years old puts you at risk of being vegetarian as an adult? Is there an intervention necessary there?

 

[Cyrus]

Honestly, are studies like these actually useful other than making nice filler on the AOL/MSN homepage?


I think I am going to do a study on the effects of reading books on IQ...darrrrrrrr. (that's me, talking retarded)

 

[Integral]

Is a 5 point variation in IQ scores meaningful?

Let's face it, the entire IQ process is imprecise. What does it mean to have a variation, which is on the order of, or perhaps less then, the variation that the tests can resolve. I do not believe that the standard IQ test can meaningfully resolve inside of 10 points. Is a 5 point difference even statistically significant?

 

[Danger]

I look at it this way:
If a vegetarian and a carnivore are stranded on a desert island together, who will survive longer?

 

[Ivan Seeking]

I look at it this way:
If a vegetarian and a carnivore are stranded on a desert island together, who will survive longer?

Mmmmmmm, that long-pig was tasty and smart.

 

[MeJennifer]

I look at it this way:
If a vegetarian and a carnivore are stranded on a desert island together, who will survive longer?

But water is the real problem on a desert island.

 

[Danger]

That's why you always save the kidneys and bladder; they're used to purify and store seawater.

 

[radou]

An old conclusion: nothing's bad, and so isn't eating meet, unless you're overdoing it. As for such studies as given in post #1, I was not even interested in clicking on the link.

 

[Mk]

Originally Posted by Mk
I wonder what the margin of error was for this study anyway?

We all know there's more vegetarians in California than hicktown or Africa. It's demographics

The study was conducted in Great Britain.

I suppose it was, but that's not what I meant. Just to nitpick, I meant, basically:

Richer (scale?) people tend to be smarter (positive feedback)
Of these people, many can afford to be vegetarians.

Poorer people aren't as smart.
And they can't afford to be vegetarians.

 

[radou]

Poorer people aren't as smart.
And they can't afford to be vegetarians.

I'd rather say that poorer people have other issues and problems in life, and they don't have the time nor will to think about their diet.

 

[Chi Meson]

I'd rather say that poorer people have other issues and problems in life, and they don't have the time nor will to think about their diet.

I think that the last two statements are actually in agreement. I've noticed that most (for lack of a better word) progressive ways of life (some might use the word liberal instead of progressive, but that's not the point), things like recycling, conscientious purchasing, low-impact living, and vegetarianism are indeed "luxuries." Not to say that they are exclusive to the rich, but they definitely require attention, forethought, and deliberate action. In many cases, this mode of life will be less expensive than the "simpler" and more wasteful way of Western culture. Still, it is a "cultural luxury" that tends to favor those with better thinking and planning power.

[/$.02]

 

[Moonbear]

Mmmmmmm, that long-pig was tasty and smart.

Yep, corn fed.

 

[arildno]

I've never understood vegetarians:
How can they prefer a wilted piece of salad to a tasty piece of meat?

 

[turbo]

I've never understood vegetarians:
How can they prefer a wilted piece of salad to a tasty piece of meat?

Really! I do think that intelligence correlates with diet. For instance, I'd feel pretty dumb saying "No filet mignon for me, please. I'll have hummus with carrot sticks and rice cakes."

 

[arildno]

I happen to LIKE carrots.