Always Sick?

Clever people are more likely to be healthier than those with a lower IQ due to a genetic link between how our bodies manage diseases and intelligence.

Researchers from Scotland analysed data from around 100,000 people held in the UK Biobank.

They compared each person’s mental test data with their genome and found that traits linked to disease and thinking skills shared the same genetic influences.

In particular, the international team of scientists led by the University of Edinburgh found ‘significant negative genetic correlations’ between a person’s education and verbal-numerical reasoning skills and Alzheimer’s disease, coronary artery disease and strokes.  Curing the Incurable: ... Levy, MD JD Thomas E Best Price: $22.60 Buy New $18.89 (as of 08:55 UTC - Details)

In other words, well-educated people who excel at problem solving are less likely to contract the conditions.

Greater risk of type 2 diabetes was also associated with leaving school or college early, and lower verbal-numerical scores.

Clever people were also less likely to be overweight.

Lypou2013Spheric Vitam... Buy New $84.95 ($1.42 / Count) (as of 09:00 UTC - Details) The team found there was a negative genetic correlation between body mass index and verbal-numerical reasoning, while a greater risk of high blood pressure was associated with lower education.

The researchers explained: ‘Our results provide comprehensive new findings on the overlaps between cognitive ability levels, genetic bases for health-related characteristics such as height and blood pressure, and physical and psychiatric disorders even in mostly healthy, non-diagnosed individuals.

‘They make important steps toward understanding the specific patterns of overlap between biological influences on health and their consequences for key cognitive abilities.

‘For example, some of the association between educational attainment – often used as a social background indicator – and health appears to have a genetic [cause].’

However, the team added: ‘It has not escaped our notice that there are multiple possible interpretations of these genetic correlations.

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