The findings build on previous research that established relationships between smoking and Alzheimer’s Disease and other forms of dementia and could point to an opportunity to identify signs of trouble earlier in life.
There is also one more piece of evidence that quitting smoking is good not just for respiratory and cardiovascular reasons – but to preserve neurological health.
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The association they saw was most significant in the 45-59 age group, suggesting that quitting at that stage of life may have a benefit for cognitive health. A similar difference wasn’t found in the oldest group in the study, which could mean that quitting earlier affords people greater benefits.
Watch out for the Smoking Habit for Early Signs of Dementia
Data for the study came from the national 2019 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System Survey and allowed the research team to compare subjective cognitive decline (SCD) measures for current smokers, recent former smokers, and those who had quit years earlier. The analysis included 136,018 people 45 and older, and about 11% reported SCD.
The prevalence of SCD among smokers in the study was almost 1.9 times that of nonsmokers. The prevalence among those who had quit less than 10 years ago was 1.5 times that of nonsmokers. Those who quit more than a decade before the survey had an SCD prevalence just slightly above the non-smoking group.
These findings could imply that the time since smoking cessation does matter, and may be linked to cognitive outcomes. The simplicity of SCD, a relatively new measure, could lend itself to wider applications.
Many people don’t have access to more in-depth screenings, or specialists – making the potential applications for measuring SCD even greater.
Be aware that these self-reported experiences don’t amount to a diagnosis, nor do they confirm independently that a person is experiencing a decline out of the normal aging process. But, he said, they could be a low-cost, simple tool to consider employing more broadly.
Source: Eurekalert
