Heavy drinkers are not as bright as everyone else, a new study has revealed. But it is their lack of intelligence which leads them to drink too much in the first place - rather than their alcohol consumption - that is the cause of their lower IQ.
Previous research has linked a lower than average IQ with a higher than average alcohol intake, said the Swedish researchers.
But their latest tests suggest it is the lack of intelligence that comes first, not the habit for 'riskier drinking' that damages the brains.
In particular, lower IQ scores are recorded among young adult men who regularly get drunk, they told the journal Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research.
Other factors including economic background, social status and education can play a part too, they said after analysing government data on 50,000 young, adult men.
But even adjusting for other factors, there was a clear link between low IQ and young men and subsequent alcoholism problems.
The researchers analysed data collected from nearly 50,000 Swedish males born during 1949 to 1951 and who were conscripted for Swedish military service from 1969 to 1971.
The data included a psychological questionnaire on drinking habits and behaviour, followed by general IQ tests.
Those found to be at most risk of suffering alcohol related problems also had the lowest IQ scores, said researchers from Stockholm's Karolinska Institutet.
Daniel Falkstedt, a professor of public health at the university, said: "In this study of a general population, intelligence probably comes before the behaviour - in this case, alcohol consumption and a pattern of drinking in late adolescence.
"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."
Researcher Sara Sjolund added: "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.
"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."
- via MailOnline& Express
Previous research has linked a lower than average IQ with a higher than average alcohol intake, said the Swedish researchers.
But their latest tests suggest it is the lack of intelligence that comes first, not the habit for 'riskier drinking' that damages the brains.
In particular, lower IQ scores are recorded among young adult men who regularly get drunk, they told the journal Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research.
Other factors including economic background, social status and education can play a part too, they said after analysing government data on 50,000 young, adult men.
But even adjusting for other factors, there was a clear link between low IQ and young men and subsequent alcoholism problems.
The researchers analysed data collected from nearly 50,000 Swedish males born during 1949 to 1951 and who were conscripted for Swedish military service from 1969 to 1971.
The data included a psychological questionnaire on drinking habits and behaviour, followed by general IQ tests.
Those found to be at most risk of suffering alcohol related problems also had the lowest IQ scores, said researchers from Stockholm's Karolinska Institutet.
Daniel Falkstedt, a professor of public health at the university, said: "In this study of a general population, intelligence probably comes before the behaviour - in this case, alcohol consumption and a pattern of drinking in late adolescence.
"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."
Researcher Sara Sjolund added: "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.
"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."
- via MailOnline& Express