UK study shows vegetarians have higher IQ and better health
Many ancient customs of India have often been mocked and made fun of by ignorant prideful Westerners.
"Why do you not eat beef?" "Is it some kind of weird Hindoo superstition?" "Do you consider the cow to be your mother?" "Holy cow!"
Every Indian Hindu who has travelled or lives abroad is very familiar of snide remarks of this kind.
Most of them have proved their strength of spirit and resolve by steadfastly following the ancient wisdom contained in these ancient customs handed down by their ancestors in spite of these insulting comments they have often faced, living in Christian-majority and Muslim-majority societies.
A small minority of them has proved susceptible to peer-pressure and started eating beef. Most of the latter try to justify their decision by calling themselves "open minded" and "progressive" [and bad-mouthing Hindus who don't eat beef as "backward" and "full of superstition"].
In truth these beef-eating Hindus are just weaklings who could not resist peer pressure from the beef-eating Christians and Muslims they live among. They should be pitied for their weakness; not disliked for their insulting and superior attitude towards Hindus who continue to follow ancient customs. May Lord Krishna have pity upon them and grant them more mental strength.
Now a study conducted in the UK shows that vegetarians have higher IQ and live healthier lives than those who regularly eat beef. People who eat only chicken and fish (but not beef etc) have just as high IQ and live just as healthy lives. People who regularly eat beef have lower IQ and live less healthy lives.
BBC reports:
 Vegetarianism has been linked to better heart health |
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 
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?"Labels: Indian Science
posted by Harsh Vardhan @ 11:01 pm
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4 Comments:
The study you quote says that high IQ people are more likely to be vegetarians. That does not mean that the converse is true.
It does not mean that "Vegetarians are high in IQ".
Being vegetarian is about not eating meat at all. It does not have a special category for cows. Eating all other kind of meat and sparing the cows isn't all that righteous.
Better to spare them all.
The point being "Your one meal should cause as less destruction to life as possible."
This was nice; thanks for the great article.
Anjali:
It tells that vegetarian have a higher average IQ level.
It does not says that a higher IQ person is more likely to be a vegetarian. It says that veg. have higher average IQ level.
Anjali is right you stupid stupid blogger.
"The finding that children with greater intelligence are more likely to report being vegetarian as adults..."
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