From: judgeparker23x@gmail.com   
      
   A lower IQ has been linked to greater and riskier drinking among young adult   
   men   
   Date:   
   February 20, 2015   
   Source:   
   Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research   
      
   Summary:   
   Previous research has suggested a link between intelligence and various health   
   outcomes. New findings show a link between a lower IQ and greater and riskier   
   drinking among young adult men.The poor IQ-test results may also be linked to   
   other disadvantages    
   such as lower socio-economic standing.   
      
      
   FULL STORY   
   Although several studies have shown an association between intelligence and   
   various health-related outcomes, the research on cognitive abilities and   
   alcohol-related problems has been inconsistent. A new study of the association   
   between IQ-test results    
   and drinking, measured as both total intake and pattern of use, has found that   
   a lower IQ is clearly associated with greater and riskier drinking among young   
   adult men, although their poor performance on the IQ-test may also be linked   
   to other    
   disadvantages.   
      
   Results will be published in the March 2015 online-only issue of Alcoholism:   
   Clinical & Experimental Research.   
      
   "Previous results in this area have been inconsistent," said Sara Sjölund, a   
   doctoral student at the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, Sweden as well as   
   corresponding author for the study. "In two studies where the CAGE   
   questionnaire -- a method of    
   screening for alcoholism -- was used, a higher cognitive ability was found to   
   be associated with a higher risk for drinking problems. Conversely, less risk   
   has been found when looking at outcomes such as, for example, International   
   Classification of    
   Diseases diagnoses of alcoholism, alcohol abuse, and dependence."   
      
   "In this study of a general population, intelligence probably comes before the   
   behavior, in this case, alcohol consumption and a pattern of drinking in late   
   adolescence," said Daniel Falkstedt, assistant professor in the department of   
   public health    
   sciences at Karolinska Institutet. "It could be the other way around for a   
   minority of individuals, that is, when exposure to alcohol has led to   
   cognitive impairment, but this is less likely to be found among young persons   
   of course."   
      
   Sjölund and her colleagues analyzed data collected from 49,321 Swedish males   
   born during 1949 to 1951 and who were conscripted for Swedish military service   
   from 1969 to 1971. IQ results were available from tests performed at   
   conscription, and    
   questionnaires also given at conscription provided data on total alcohol   
   intake (consumed grams of alcohol/week) and pattern of drinking, as well as   
   medical, childhood and adolescent conditions, and tobacco use. Adjustments   
   were made for socio-economic    
   position as a child, psychiatric symptoms and emotional stability, and the   
   father's alcohol habits.   
      
   "We found that lower results on IQ tests in Swedish adolescent men are   
   associated with a higher consumption of alcohol, measured in both terms of   
   total intake and binge drinking," said Sjölund. "It may be that a higher IQ   
   results in healthier lifestyle    
   choices. Suggested explanations for the association between IQ and different   
   health outcomes, could be childhood conditions, which could influence both IQ   
   and health, or that a socio-economic position as an adult mediates the   
   association."   
      
   "By taking into account as little as four measured characteristics of the men,   
   including their backgrounds," added Falkstedt, "the authors seem to be able to   
   explain a large part of the association between IQ and heavy drinking. I think   
   this may be a    
   main message of this large cohort study: poor performance on IQ tests tend to   
   go along with other disadvantages, for instance, poorer social background and   
   emotional problems, which may explain the association with risky alcohol   
   consumption. In reality,    
   other differences of importance are likely to exist among the men, which could   
   further explain the IQ-alcohol association."   
      
   Both Sjölund and Falkstedt noted that results may vary among cultures and   
   countries.   
      
   "I think that large parts of the association between IQ and alcohol   
   consumption may be indirect and mediated by experiences in everyday life and   
   differences in social situations," said Falkstedt. "It is not necessarily   
   about making intelligent or    
   unintelligent choices. For instance, in countries with weak social-safety nets   
   and high alcohol consumption among low-wage workers and the unemployed, I   
   assume the association could be stronger than in economically more-equal   
   countries, perhaps also    
   among the young."   
      
   "I hope that our findings add to the general understanding of drinking   
   behaviours and what factors that may influence them," said Sjölund. "However,   
   we must be very careful in making any attempt to generalize our results to   
   women, since their level of    
   consumption and patterns of drinking likely differ in comparison with men."   
      
   "I think a higher intelligence may give some advantage in relation to   
   lifestyle choices," noted Falkstedt. "However, I think it is very important to   
   remember that intelligence differences already existing in childhood and   
   adolescence may put people at an    
   advantage or disadvantage and may generate subsequent differences in   
   experiences, and accumulation of such experiences over many years. Therefore,   
   another important explanation of 'bad choices' among lower-IQ individuals may   
   be feelings of inadequacy and    
   frustration, I think. A number of studies have shown that a lower IQ in   
   childhood or adolescence is associated with an increased risk of suicide over   
   many years in adulthood."   
      
      
   Story Source:   
      
   The above post is reprinted from materials provided by Alcoholism: Clinical &   
   Experimental Research. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.   
      
   Journal Reference:   
      
   Sara Sjölund, Tomas Hemmingsson, Peter Allebeck. IQ and Level of Alcohol   
   Consumption-Findings from a National Survey of Swedish Conscripts. Alcoholism:   
   Clinical and Experimental Research, 2015; DOI: 10.1111/acer.12656   
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   Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research. "A lower IQ has been linked to   
   greater and riskier drinking among young adult men." ScienceDaily.   
   ScienceDaily, 20 February 2015. .   
      
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