A study out of Israel shows that the lower someone's IQ is, the more likely they are to have a stroke before the age of 50.
The correlation was not small, either.
There was evidence of a dose - response relationship such that one-unit of lower cognitive function z-score was associated with a 33% increased risk of stroke. These associations were similar for ischaemic stroke but lower for haemorrhagic stroke.
I know you know the old saying, "Correlation does not equal causation."
But this sort of correlation, in a multi-decade study of over 1.7 million people, is nothing to bat an eye at.
The researchers said,
In light of the increasing incidence of early onset stroke, the robust association between lower cognitive performance in adolescence and an increased risk of early-onset stroke underscores the need for comprehensive assessments beyond traditional stroke risk factors.
The insights from our study suggest that cognitive performance might aid in identifying individuals at higher stroke risk, thus facilitating timely interventions to address potential mediators such as health illiteracy, education, and health behaviours.
Since other studies have shown that IQ is not set in stone (the right kinds of education can raise it, and the lack thereof can lower it), I can't help but wonder about what lowering education standards throughout the U.S. will mean for the future health of today's students.
Learning is good for you.
Go read a book, people!
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