Smoking Linked to Mental Decline

Researchers at University College in London studied about 7,000 individuals in the Whitehall II study, which has collected data on many British civil servants. The UCL researchers focused on tests of memory, verbal skills and reasoning over a 10-year period. Their findings showed men who smoked experienced greater declines in the areas tested than those who did not smoke.

The study’s lead author said smoking seemed to cause mental decline associated with an adult who is 10 years older. In other words, a 50-year-old smoker showed the signs of mental decline normally associated with a 60-year-old non-smoker. The study did not show a similar acceleration of mental decline in women smokers, but that could have been because fewer women were involved in the study, and a speculation that those women probably smoked less.

“Men have more heart disease and greater stroke risk than women do up until about age 70 or so. Part of that is related to lifestyle. Men of this age group often smoked more than women did,” said
Dr. Charles DeCarli from UC-Davis. (Source: ABCNEWS)

One possible mechanism for the negative impact of smoking on cognitive function could be the disruption of optimal receptor operation due to the attachment of nicotine. The affected receptors are involved in mental functions like memory, concentration and attention. Also, carbon monoxide from smoking reduces the amount of oxygen blood can carry to the brain. Tobacco smoking is associated with so much damage to our health and enough to the environment, it is a wonder it remains such a popular practice. One can be sympathetic to the suffering of addiction and its lack of control, but it is also very frustrating to see how much damage tobacco smoking does.

Image Credit: Sillyputtyenemies / Wiki Commons

Read more: Conscious Consumer, Health, smoking

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of
Care2, Inc., its employees or advertisers.

Kathy P.

5:02PM PDT on May 22, 2012

interesting and not at all surprising.

send a green star

Jane B.

7:31PM PDT on Apr 18, 2012

What? Mental decline is the LEAST of it. What about the LUNG decline, the THROAT CANCER decline and the EMPHYSEMA decline? Come ON!!! Big Tobacco has only killed
50 million people so far and EVERY PERSON DIED A SLOW PAINFUL DEATH!!! How many more "studies" do we need before this crap is OUTLAWED? Oh wait....RJ would LOSE MONEY!!!! MOTHER OF GOD, WE CAN'T HAVE THAT!!!

J.L. A.

8:41AM PDT on Apr 10, 2012

hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm another study where not enough women

Victor M.

10:29AM PDT on Mar 19, 2012

obvious

Debbie L.

7:41PM PST on Feb 28, 2012

Never smoked and never will. It's just not cool, for you or the environment.

Laurie D.

1:50PM PST on Feb 9, 2012

Of COURSE it diminishes your mental abilities -- given ANY kind of poison and you'll have the same results! I think a more useful study might be in finding WHY some folks are attracted to cigarettes and why they will START smoking even with all the information available to them. THAT would be a study worth supporting!

Parvez Z.

11:52PM PST on Feb 8, 2012

I gave up smoking 12 years back and feel much better and can not stand smoker as second hand smoke is also bad for health

Lynn C.

9:45PM PST on Feb 8, 2012

They should do a study on the effects of watching political debates. No doubt they would find the debates would cause a precipitous decline, at least equal to 4 packs a day!

Craig Z.

2:17PM PST on Feb 8, 2012

I have never understood the appeal of smoking. It is very unpleasant for me to be around anyone that smokes and I would never consider dating a smoker.

Penny C.

2:08PM PST on Feb 8, 2012

Thank you.