Heavy smoking in midlife associated with dementia in later years

November, 2010

A very large long-running study has found smoking over two packs per day in middle age more than doubled the chances of developing dementia in later life.

Data from 21,123 people, surveyed between 1978 and 1985 when in their 50s and tracked for dementia from 1994 to 2008, has revealed that those who smoked more than two packs per day in middle age had more than twice the risk of developing dementia, both Alzheimer's and vascular dementia, compared to non-smokers.

A quarter of the participants (25.4%) were diagnosed with dementia during the 23 years follow-up, of whom a little over 20% were diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease and nearly 8% with vascular dementia.

Former smokers, or those who smoked less than half a pack per day, did not appear to be at increased risk. Associations between smoking and dementia did not vary by race or sex.

Smoking is a well-established risk factor for stroke, and is also known to contribute to oxidative stress and inflammation.

http://www.physorg.com/news/2010-10-heavy-midlife-dementia-years.html

Reference:

[1934] Rusanen, M., Kivipelto M., Quesenberry C. P., Zhou J., & Whitmer R. A.
(2010). Heavy Smoking in Midlife and Long-term Risk of Alzheimer Disease and Vascular Dementia.
Arch Intern Med. archinternmed.2010.393 - archinternmed.2010.393.

nicotine

Alzheimers

Related News

Smell tests provide early evidence of dementia

In the past few months, several studies have come out showing the value of three different tests of people's sense of smell for improving the accuracy of

Long-winded speech could be early sign of Alzheimer's

A study comparing the language abilities of 22 healthy young individuals, 24 healthy older individuals and 22 people with

Diagnosing MCI at home

Following on from a previous study showing that such a virtual supermarket game administered by a trained professional can detect

Higher coffee consumption linked to lower dementia risk in women

Data from the Women's Health Initiative Memory Study, involving 6,467 postmenopausal women (65+) who reported some level of caffeine consumption, has found that those who consumed above average amounts of coffee had a lower risk of developing dementia.

Age-related drop in body temperature worsens Alzheimer's disease

Our bodies’ ability to regulate its temperature gets worse with age, along with a slowing metabolism. We also become more vulnerable to Alzheimer's as we age. A study compared mice genetically engineered to manifest Alzheimer's symptoms as they age with normal mice.

Why people with Alzheimer's stop recognizing their loved ones

People with Alzheimer's disease develop problems in recognizing familiar faces. It has been thought that this is just part of their general impairment, but a new study indicates that a specific, face-related impairment develops early in the disease.

Different kinds of physical activity improve brain volume & cut Alzheimer's risk

Data from 876 patients (average age 78) in the 30-year Cardiovascular Health Study show that virtually any type of aerobic physical activity can improve brain volume and reduce Alzheimer's risk.

Hearing aid use linked to better cognition in hearing-impaired elderly

A study involving 100 older adults (aged 80-99) with hearing loss has found that those who used a hearing aid performed significantly better on a cognitive test (MMSE) than those who didn't use a hearing aid, despite having poorer hearing.

Older adults with type 2 diabetes show reduced blood flow linked to worse cognition

A study involving 65 older adults (average age 66), of whom 35 had type 2 diabetes, has found that after two years, those with diabetes had decreases in their ability to regulate blood flow in the brain, and a reduced ability to regulate blood flow was associated with lower cognitive scores.

Physical activity linked to better memory for names and faces among older adults

A small study that fitted 29 young adults (18-31) and 31 older adults (55-82) with a device that recorded steps taken and the vigor and speed with which they were made, has found that those older adults with a higher step rate performed better on memory tasks than those who were more sedentary.

Pages