Smoking tied to declines in memory, cognitive abilities

As adults age, they're more likely to experience declines in memory and cognitive abilities. New research suggests that smoking might significantly speed up those declines.

For the study, researchers analyzed data from an ongoing study of aging that involved nearly 8,800 participants who were an average of 66 years old, a majority of whom were females.

They was given tests that measured blood pressure, cholesterol levels and body mass index (BMI), and were also asked about their smoking habits. Participants were also tested for their risks for stroke and heart disease, and were given tasks that helped measure their memory and cognitive abilities after four and eight-year follow-up periods.

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The researchers found those at the highest risk for stroke had lower scores in cognition, memory and executive processing as measured by the tasks. High blood pressure specifically was associated with lower cognitive and memory scores after the eight years, while high BMI -- used to measure if a person is overweight or obese -- was also tied to lower memory scores.

However across the board, smoking was associated with lower performance on all cognitive measures studied at four and eight-year intervals.

"Smoking emerged as the most consistent predictor of cognitive decline," wrote the study's authors, lead by Dr. Alex Dregan, a public health sciences researcher at Kings College London. The study appears in the Nov. 25 issue of Age and Aging.

The authors say their study shows that the most promising preventive approach to reduce cognitive declines should consider the potential multiple causes, such as smoking and cardiovascular risks.

"Specifically, interventions to limit cognitive decline should consider the combined effect of multiple vascular risk factors rather than focusing on the management of individual-risk factors as routinely performed in the past," they wrote.

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Alzheimer's disease: 7 things that raise your risk

Alzheimer's disease is the most common form of dementia, affecting 5.4 million Americans according to the U.S. Alzheimer's Association. The disease, which typically occurs in people 65 and older, starts with mild memory loss and progresses to the inability to carry a conversation or to recognize one's environment. It is the sixth-leading cause of death in the United States.

Other risk factors for cognitive decline include diabetes and lack of physical exercise.

"We all know smoking, a high blood pressure, high cholesterol levels and a high BMI (body mass index) is bad for our heart," Jessica Smith, a research communications officer at the U.K.'s Alzheimer's Society, commented on the study to The Telegraph. "This research adds to the huge amount of evidence that also suggests they can be bad for our head too."

[AEMCedarPark]

My husband smoked from age 12, a pack per day. He quit smoking at the age of 51 when his brother was diagnosed with lung cancer. By the age of 53, my husband was diagnosed with full blown Alzheimer's Disease. I really believe that quitting smoking triggered his Alzheimer's. Quite frankly, I think his death would have been far kinder had he died from lung cancer, if in fact he ever did get it. I contend that if you smoke and have done so for quite awhile, then DON'T QUIT NOW!! Ask a neurologist about the relationship between brain disease and smoking...you'd be surprised at the answer he/she might give you....

[magnumdr]

Why can't this Country just leave us smokers alone and let us persue our habbit if it makes us happy. We are all gaurenteed the right to persue our own happiness here, right! The people in the World seem to think that smoking is the only bad thing for our health. Surprize, there are many other things in our world that will also cause harm to the body!. Oh and thanks for almost making it impossible to buy cigarettes because of the "unfiar taxes" put on the sale of cigarettes!

[kakamiow]

Smoking is harmful to health, is not only harmful to himself, others great harm.Why Non-Smoking effect is not obvious?High taxes levied tobacco companies should increase!

[magnumdr]

Smoking doesn't cause others?, great harm. You have been reading to many scary items about smoking. Radon gas will get you way before cigarette smoke will!

[toners777]

I don't believe this, not at all. My doctor told me when I asked about stopping cigarettes, he said I should still smoke 3 a day to help prevent dementia.
Also, knew and dated a nurse who worked in a Alzheimer ward at local nursing home, she told me, 95% of her patients
were NON smokers.
Last, my poor father, he never smoked, and Alzheimers took him from me back in 08.

[eroteme2]

Great day in the morning!! 'Researchers' have released another 'study'! How nice of them!! Now they can proceed to their next 'study'!

[Illunz]

This may be a false cause fallacy. Taking up smoking is an emotional decision that has been publicly stated for roughly 50 years as unhealthy, and even on the tobacco products themselves for 46 years. It's been known for over 30 years that secondhand smoke is harmful to innocent victims around you.

In short, the reason for lower cognitive abilities may stem from having poorer decision making abilities or a stronger predisposition towards addictive, harmful behavior.

[geneb5]

The fallacy is all yours. This study measured how fast their abilities declined from their own baseline. Their native intelligence could be at any level at the beginning--the study measured how fast and how far those faculties declined from that level.