Low IQ Linked To Heart Disease

People with low intelligence are more likely to have heart disease, researchers say, and the effect of a low IQ can be greater than any other factor except for smoking.

A study by Britain's Medical Research Council said that low intelligence had more of an impact than obesity or high blood pressure, according to a news release from the European Journal of Cardiovascular Prevention and Rehabilitation.

The analysis looked at more than 1,100 men and women for 20 years.

Researchers said that the less intelligent people were also more likely to die during the study.

They said it could be that low intelligence and heart disease are linked because factors that weaken the heart such as illness or poor nutrition could also impair brain power.

Lead researcher Dr. David Batty said that the work could show that health campaigns need to take thinking levels into account.