A Southampton University team found that people who were vegetarian by 30 had recorded five IQ points more on average at the age of 10. 南安普顿大学的研究团队发现那些到30岁都是素食主义的人比起他们10岁时的智商平均要高5个点。Researchers said it could explain why people with a higher IQ were healthier as a vegetarian diet was linked to lower heart disease and obesity(肥胖)rates.研究人员认为这就可以解释为何有高智商的人总是更健康,因为素食食谱总是和低心脏病率和低肥胖率联系在一起。The study of 8,179 was reported in the British Medical Journal.这分对8179人的研究在英国医学杂志上发表。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.在1970年的一次智商测试过去后的20年,366个测试者说他们是素食主义者,尽管报告称他们中的100人会吃鱼或鸡肉。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. 相较于非素食者的101点,那些男性素食者有106点智商得分;与此同时,相较于非素食者的99点,那些素食女性的平均值是104。There was no difference in the IQ score between strict vegetarians and those who said they were vegetarian but reported eating fish or chicken.在纯素食者与那些自称素食者但是吃鱼或鸡肉的人当中智商得分没有区别。Researchers said the findings were partly related to better education and higher class, but it remained statistically(统计地)significant after adjusting for these factors.研究人员说虽然这个发现部分地受到更好教育或者更高社会层次的影响,但是在统计上调整这些因素后任然结果明显。Vegetarians were more likely to be female, to be of higher social class and to have higher academic or professional qualifications than non-vegetarians. 比起非素食者,素食者中更倾向女性占多数,更倾向社会层次更高的人或者有更高学术或职业资质的人。However, these differences were not reflected in their annual income, which was similar to that of non-vegetarians.然而这些区别并未在他们的年收入中反映,这些人的收入往往和非素食者相近。Lead researcher Catharine Gale said, “The findings that children with greater intelligence are more likely to report being vegetarians than adults, together with the evidence on the potential benefits of a vegetarian diet on heart health, may help to explain why a higher IQ in childhood or adolescence is linked with a reduced risk of coronary heart disease (冠心病) in adult life.”首席研究员凯瑟琳盖尔说:研究发现有更高智商的儿童比起成人更有可能是素食者,连同素食食谱在心脏保健中起的潜在好处这一证据一起考虑,这就也许可以解释为何有更高智商的儿童和青少年在他们成年后有更低的冠心病发病率。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 are clever enough to be more aware of health issues?”但是英国营养协会弗兰奇菲利普斯博士说:这就像是先有鸡还是先有蛋一样,究竟是因为有更高的智商而成为素食者还是仅仅他们只是更聪明的关注健康问题?