Giving up smoking is one of the best decisions a person can make for their health. Most people know that quitting lowers the risk of lung disease, heart disease and many types of cancer.
Now, a new study suggests it may also help protect the brain as people grow older. Researchers found that people who stopped smoking were less likely to develop dementia than those who continued to smoke. The findings were published in the journal Neurology.
Dementia is a group of conditions that gradually damage memory, thinking and the ability to carry out everyday activities.
Alzheimer’s disease is the most common type. As the world’s population ages, dementia has become one of the biggest public health challenges because there is still no cure. Scientists are therefore searching for lifestyle habits that may reduce the risk.
Researchers from Zhejiang University School of Medicine followed 32,802 adults who did not have dementia when the study began. Participants were around 61 years old on average and were followed for about 10 years.
Every two years they reported whether they smoked, how much they weighed and other information about their health. The researchers also carried out memory and thinking tests and gathered information from family members or close friends when needed.
During the study, 5,868 people developed dementia. After taking into account age, exercise, heart health and other factors, people who quit smoking had a 16% lower risk of developing dementia than those who continued smoking.
The longer people remained smoke-free, the greater the benefit became. After about seven years, their dementia risk was similar to people who had never smoked.
The study also revealed an interesting finding about body weight. Many people gain some weight after quitting because nicotine no longer suppresses appetite.
Researchers found that people who gained little or no weight, or up to five kilograms, still enjoyed the brain-health benefits of quitting. However, those who gained 10 kilograms or more did not appear to receive the same protection against dementia.
The researchers believe these findings should encourage people to quit smoking while also paying attention to healthy eating and regular physical activity afterward. Quitting remains one of the most effective ways to improve long-term health, and combining it with weight management may provide even greater protection for the brain.
This study followed more than 32,000 adults for about 10 years, making it one of the larger studies examining smoking, weight changes and brain health. The long follow-up strengthens the findings because dementia develops slowly over many years.
However, this was an observational study, so it cannot prove that quitting smoking directly prevents dementia. Smoking habits and body weight were also self-reported, which may have introduced some errors.
Even with these limitations, the findings provide reassuring evidence that quitting smoking is linked to better long-term brain health, especially when people avoid major weight gain by following a healthy diet and staying physically active after quitting.
If you care about dementia, please read studies about dietary strategies to ward off dementia, and how omega-3 fatty acids fuel your mind.
For more health information, please see recent studies about Choline deficiency linked to Alzheimer’s disease, and what to eat (and avoid) for dementia prevention.
Source: Zhejiang University School of Medicine.
