A recent study led by researchers from University College London (UCL) has revealed that smoking may significantly speed up the decline in cognitive abilities as we age.
The study, published in Nature Communications, tracked data from 32,000 adults aged 50 and over from 14 European countries over 10 years.
The researchers focused on how various lifestyle factors, such as smoking, exercise, alcohol consumption, and social contact, impacted cognitive decline in older adults who were cognitively healthy at the start of the study.
Cognitive function was measured using memory and verbal fluency tests. Participants were grouped based on their health-related behaviors:
whether they smoked, engaged in physical activity at least once a week, maintained regular social contact, and consumed alcohol within recommended limits (up to two drinks a day for men and one for women).
The findings were striking. Smokers experienced cognitive decline up to 85% faster over the 10-year period compared to non-smokers.
Interestingly, the study found that cognitive decline rates were similar across non-smokers, regardless of other health behaviors like exercise, alcohol use, or social contact.
However, there was one notable exception: smokers who maintained a healthy lifestyle in other ways—by exercising regularly, drinking alcohol in moderation, and staying socially active—had a cognitive decline rate similar to non-smokers.
This suggests that adopting other healthy behaviors might reduce the negative cognitive effects of smoking.
Lead researcher Dr. Mikaela Bloomberg highlighted that while the study is observational and cannot prove that smoking directly causes faster cognitive decline, it strongly suggests that smoking plays a key role in how the brain ages.
She noted that while previous studies have shown that healthier lifestyles lead to slower cognitive decline, this study helps identify which specific behaviors are most important.
“Our findings suggest that not smoking is among the most important behaviors for maintaining cognitive function,” she said.
For smokers who find quitting difficult, the research suggests that engaging in other healthy behaviors—such as regular exercise, moderate alcohol intake, and maintaining strong social connections—could help offset some of the cognitive risks associated with smoking.
The researchers took into account a range of factors, such as age, gender, country, education, wealth, and chronic health conditions, to ensure the results were reliable.
The data came from two major studies: the English Longitudinal Study of Aging (ELSA) and the Survey of Health, Aging and Retirement in Europe (SHARE).
This study underscores the significant impact smoking has on brain health and highlights the importance of adopting a healthy lifestyle to protect cognitive function as we age.
For those interested in brain health, it’s worth exploring additional studies on related topics, such as how vitamin D deficiency and magnesium intake can influence cognitive aging.
The full research findings can be found in Nature Communications.
If you care about brain health, please read studies about vitamin D deficiency linked to Alzheimer’s and vascular dementia, and extra-virgin olive oil could boost brain function.
For more information about brain health, please see recent studies about antioxidants that could help reduce dementia risk, and strawberries could help prevent Alzheimer’s disease
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