一貫道郭明義

《素食與高智商》－1

有研究指出吃素的人智商比一般人高，然而究竟吃素是高IQ的因還是果﹖

高IQ者吃素﹖吃素成為高IQ﹖我們將從科學報導作一系列的探討。

《高智商兒童，長大容易成為素食者》High IQ Children Grow into Vegetarians

英國一項大型的世代研究，以20年時間追蹤8179個小孩，在他們10歲時測智商，追蹤20年之後，在這些孩子30歲時做統計調查，得到的結論是：

「較聰明的孩子，比較可能在長大後成為素食主義。」

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南安普敦大學2006年發表了一項吃素與智商的研究報告，這個研究歷經20年，取樣8179人，在他們10歲時測智商，追蹤20年之後，這些孩子已30歲，其中有366人吃素，9人是純素，123人素食但食用雞肉或魚(不吃紅肉)。再對他們做各項調查研究發現：

˙高智商的小孩，在長大後決定吃素。

˙10歲時智商比平均高15分的小孩，30歲時有38%成為素食者。

˙長大後素食者，兒童時期的智商大約為105，比沒有成為素食者的小孩高5分。

˙素食者女性較多(女性74%男性26%)，

˙素食者位居較高職業的社會階層，

˙素食者在學業上也有較高成就，並具有較高的學歷。

˙高智商小孩，長大後較少高膽固醇、肥胖、心臟病。

˙唯一不符合此項研究結果的是吃維根素者。維根素(vegans)不吃動物性食品，不吃奶蛋。研究指出長大後吃維根素者，童年智商平均比其他種素食者低10分。

然而這個結果因為取樣太少，不足為證，因只有9名研究對象吃維根素。

《研究員Catharine Gale博士的解釋》：

蓋兒博士對這個研究結果的解釋：

˙聰明的人可能會更關心動物的保護

˙水果、蔬菜和穀物含有豐富的營養，以某種方式促進大腦發育。 

˙素食者飲食有降低血壓和降低膽固醇，減少心臟病的風險。同時也很少肥胖。

Gale博士說：“雖然我們的結果是比較聰明的孩子，當他們長大時可能更容易變為素食者，不排除：素食也許有利於長大以後的認知表現。

“可能素食者的飲食的本質有明顯提高他們優越智慧的功效？還是幫助他們達到健康的機制？”

結論：高智商和素食有顯著的關聯。

《高智商是因或是果﹖》

因吃素而高智商﹖因高智商而吃素﹖

這項研究的結論讓很多人討論:究竟這些高智商小孩選擇吃素，因為吃素而高智商、而有高成就﹖或是因為高智商喜歡閱讀學習，進而選擇較健康的飲食，而成為素食者﹖

其實，吃素是高智商的因也是果，根據其他的研究，出生自吃素家庭的小孩智商比較高；相對於英國的這個研究結論:聰明的小孩，長大後認為素食比肉食有益，而選擇素食。

所以素食等於高智商，無論看因或果，選擇素食絕對是聰明的決定。

未完待續…接續這個主題將提出其他素食與高智商的系列研究。

(原資料出自：英國南普敦大學網站)

由於原文太長，完整的英文資料貼在《郭明義部落格》：

http://www.southampton.ac.uk/news/2006/12/children-high-iq-become-vegetarian.page

由於南普敦大學網站只公佈了結論，而沒有將整個研究完整貼在網站。所以在另一網站MedPage Today找到更多這個研究的數據。

http://www.medpagetoday.com/PrimaryCare/DietNutrition/4721

對這個主題有興趣者可以直接閱讀原網站資料。

《英國南普敦大學》Children with a high IQ are more likely to become vegetarian

Published: 15 December 2006

Intelligent children may be more likely to be vegetarian as adults, suggests a University of Southampton-led study published online by the British Medical Journal today.

The study led by Dr Catharine Gale of the University's MRC Epidemiology Resource Centre looked to see why people with higher IQs appeared to be less likely to suffer from heart disease.

"We examined the records of 8179 men and women aged 30 years, whose IQ had been tested at the age of ten. Twenty years on, 366 (4.5 per cent) of participants said they were vegetarian. Of these, 9 (2.5 per cent) were vegan and 123 (33.6 per cent) stated they were vegetarian but reported eating fish or chicken," says Dr Gale.

"Those who were vegetarian by the age of 30 had scored five IQ points above average at the age of ten. This can be partly accounted for by better education and higher occupational social class, but it remained statistically significant after adjusting for these factors."

Recent evidence suggests that vegetarianism may be linked to lower cholesterol levels and a reduced risk of obesity and heart disease. This might help to explain why children who score higher on intelligence tests tend to have a lower risk of coronary heart disease in later life.

"One explanation for the link between higher IQ and vegetarianism may be that brighter children grow up to think more about what they eat, which in some cases has led them to become vegetarians," continues Dr Gale.

Professor Ian Deary from the University of Edinburgh, one of the study's co-authors, adds: "As the only member of the research team who has never been a vegetarian I feel bound to emphasise that the link we have found might not be causal. Becoming vegetarian might be one of a number of more or less arbitrary cultural choices that clever people make, some of which might be beneficial to health, and some not."

Vegetarians were also more likely to be female, to be of higher occupational social class and to have higher academic or vocational qualifications than non-vegetarians, although these differences were not reflected in their annual income, which was similar to that of non-vegetarians.

There was no difference in IQ score between strict vegetarians and those who said they were vegetarian but who reported eating fish or chicken.

Related Staff Member

Professor Catharine Gale BSc, PhD

Professor of Cognitive Epidemiology

Cognitive ability in childhood is related to many important life outcomes, including health and longevity. As an epidemiologist, a major focus of my research is to understand why cognitive ability is linked with later physical and mental health

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《MedPage Today》的資料

by Jeff Minerd
Contributing Writer, MedPage Today

High IQ Children Grow into Vegetarians

SOUTHAMPTON, England -- Smarter kids are more likely to adopt limited vegetarianism when they mature, according to a large British cohort study.

For every 15-point increase in childhood IQ score at age 10, kids were 38% more likely to be vegetarians at age 30, reported Catherine R. Gale, Ph.D., of the University of Southampton in Southampton, England.

十歲智商每往上15分，就多出38%的可能性在30歲成為素食者。

The association remained statistically significant after adjusting for potential confounders including gender, socioeconomic status, and academic achievement, Dr. Gale and colleagues said online in BMJ.

在排除潛在干擾因素，如性別、社會經濟地位和學歷後，這個關聯在統計數字上依舊很顯著。

The study included 8,170 participants in the 1970 British cohort study. Mental ability was assessed at age 10. Diet was assessed at age 30. Socioeconomic variables were gathered at both times.

此項研究統計了8170名在1970年英國世代研究中的研究對象，十歲時測試智商，三十歲時統計飲食習慣，社會經濟地位，在對象十歲和三十歲時都有列入統計。

A total of 366 participants reported being vegetarian at age 30 (4.5%).

Vegetarians were likely to be female (74% versus 26%). They were also likely to come from the highest social class (34% versus about 11% for the lowest) and to have remained in the highest social class as adults (46% versus about 11% from the lowest).

素食者大多是女性(素食者中比例為女性74%男性26%)，素食者也大多來自社會地位較高的家庭，並且在長大後多數仍有很高的社會地位。

Vegetarians were also likely to be academic achievers. Nearly half (44.5%) had a degree or diploma, compared with 2.7% with no academic qualifications.

素食者在學業上也有較高成就，將近半數有大學學位或是專科文憑，只有2.7%沒有任何學術文憑。

However, even after adjusting for these factors, a 15-point increase in childhood IQ score (one standard deviation) was significantly associated with the odds of becoming a vegetarian

(odds ratio=1.20; 95% confidence interval=1.06 to 1.36.) The unadjusted odds ratio was 1.38 (95% CI=1.24 to 1.53).

然而，在排除這些因素後，在十歲智商比一般小孩高15分的小孩，仍然有顯著關聯成為素食者。

On average, children who grew up to be vegetarians scored about five points higher on the IQ test than whose who did not (P<0.001).

長大後成為素食者的小孩，智商平均比沒有成為素食者的小孩高5分。

The only class of vegetarian for whom the results did not hold true was vegan. Vegans consume no animal products whatsoever, not even eggs or milk. The study found that vegans had an average childhood IQ score that was nearly 10 points lower than other vegetarians (95.1 for vegans versus 104.8 for other vegetarians; P=0.04).

素食者中唯一不符合此項研究結果的是吃維根素者。維根素者不吃任何動物性食品，不吃奶蛋。研究指出長大後吃維根素者童年智商平均比其他種素食者低10分。

However, this result could be unreliable because of the small sample size: only nine study participants were vegan, the authors noted.

然而這個結果可能不夠可靠，因為取樣太少，只有9名研究對象吃維根素。

When strict vegetarians (no meat or fish) were compared with those who called themselves vegetarians but sometimes ate chicken or fish, no significant differences were found.

嚴格定義上的素食者(不吃肉和魚)和自稱素食者，但有時吃魚或雞肉的人，智商並未有顯著差別。

Though vegetarians were on average more intelligent, better educated, and higher academic achievers, these factors did not translate into significantly higher income for vegetarians. "It may be that ethical considerations determined not just their diet but also their choice of employment," the authors speculated.

儘管素食者大都比較聰明，並且受良好教育，有較高學術成就，但這並不代表高收入。作者認為這有可能是因為道德考量不僅影響他們的飲食選擇，也影響了職業選擇。

"Compared with non-vegetarians, vegetarians were less likely to be working in the private sector and more likely to be working in charitable organizations, local government, or education," they said.

相較於非素食者，素食者較少在私人企業工作，大多數選擇公益性組織、地方政府或是投入教職。

One reason behind the findings may be that smart kids tend to make smarter choices about their health as adults, the authors speculated. Just as individuals of higher intelligence are less likely to smoke because of the known health risks, they may be more likely to embrace vegetarianism because of the touted health benefits, which include lower cholesterol, lower blood pressure, and reduced risk of obesity and heart disease, the authors suggested.

作者推測此次研究結果，其中可能原因是聰明的孩子傾向於作出對健康較好的聰明選擇。就像高智商的人比較少吸菸，因為吸菸有害健康。他們可能支持素食主義，基於健康利益如較低膽固醇、較低血壓，降低肥胖機率以及心臟病風險。

On the other hand, "the association between IQ and vegetarianism may be merely an example of many other lifestyle preferences that might be expected to vary with intelligence but which may or may not have implications for health," the authors concluded