Vegetarians are more intelligent, study finds

Children with a high IQ are more likely to become vegetarian, a university study has found.

Researchers at the University of Southampton found that people who had become vegetarian by the age of 30 had a higher than average IQ as a child.

On average, those who became vegetarian scored five IQ points higher in tests at the age of 10 than those who continued to eat meat.

Out of the 8,179 people studied for the research, 366 were vegetarian by the age of 30.

Vegetarian men scored an average of 106 in IQ tests at the age of ten, compared to non-vegetarian men, who averaged 101.

Women averaged 104 as vegetarians, compared to 99 for non-vegetarians.

Scientists at the University believe the research could help to explain why people with higher IQs tend to be healthier, as vegetarianism is linked to lower rates of heart disease and obesity.