TRIP

Smoking 'speeds up mental decline' in middle-aged men

Healthcare Republic News, 2012

Middle-aged men who smoke will experience faster mental decline which accelerates the more they smoke, UK research suggests.
Smoking has been linked to the risk of developing dementia before but the extent of the risk was unclear.
Her team examined the results of three separate cognitive assessments of these participants over the course of a decade, starting in 1997-99.
The study team then compared these scores against six assessments of each volunteer’s smoking history over 25 years, including the study period.
Although mental decline occurred in never smokers, it was faster in those who were smoking at the start of the study.
Researchers said: 'We observe that the effect size associated with smoking is similar to that associated with 10 years of age.'
Those who quit smoking in the 10 years before the study began were still at risk of greater mental decline than never smokers.
Researchers concluded that the link between smoking and cognitive decline is likely to be underestimated, especially in older people, due to the higher risk of death dropout among smokers.
They concluded: 'Our study illustrates the importance of examining risk factors for cognitive decline much earlier in the life course.'
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