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."
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