BMJ article links vegetarians with intelligence

A new study, published in the British Medical Journal, suggests that people who choose the vegetarian path are smarter than their carnivorous counterparts.  What brilliant scientific support for all of us vegetarians and vegans out there!

The study traced 8,000 people from birth and found that those who became vegetarian by 30 had an IQ five points above the average.  They also tended to be better educated and of higher social class, but even after adjusting for this, they were still more intelligent, the University of Southamptom study showed. 

8,000 is a decent sample size, but without knowing the details of how the research was conducted, it may be difficult to ascertain the validity of this data, or if there was any bias (where did the funding come from?).  However, having been published in the BMJ, would recommend it as being scientifically sound. One of my friends recently commented, that since he had been eating a more plant based diet, not only did he feel lighter and have more energy, but definitely less cloudy mind.  Does this translate into intelligence?  Is it that the intelligence is there, but masked by the effects of a omnivore diet? It prompts the question in my mind- what came first?  Is it that intelligent people tend to think about matters to such as animals treatment, the environment, ethics and the like and then turn vegetarian?  Or is it that people’s intelligence can be increased on a vegetarian diet?  
Ref: http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,21097371-5006007,00.html

I would be interested in learning about other research that you may have read on the subject.

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