The Zoomer Report: Smoking and Dementia

Zoomer | November 30th, 2010

If you need another reason to stop smoking, here it is. There is now evidence that heavy smoking during middle age can double the risk of Alzheimer’s disease and dementia two decades later.

A study in the Archives of Internal Medicine analyzed data from 21,000 members of a health plan who took part in a survey when they were in their 50s and 60s.

About 25 per cent of them were diagnosed with some form of dementia in the more than 20 years of follow up.

The researchers say those who smoked more than two packs a day had a 114 per cent increased risk of dementia, and a 157 per cent increased risk of Alzheimer’s disease. And they caution that doesn’t mean that people who smoke less are in the clear.

It is the first time scientists has been able to study the effects of smoking on brain health over the long term. It’s a difficult project because heavy smokers often die from other conditions first. Smoking already causes millions of deaths each year from cancer and heart disease.

Photo ©iStockphoto.com/ Stepan Popov

About The Zoomer Report

Libby Znaimer, a prominent Canadian journalist specializing in business, politics, and lifestyle issues, is producer and host of The Zoomer Report, a special feature on topics of interest to baby boomers and the 50+. It covers everything from health and wealth to leisure and volunteerism, from the special vantage point of the generation that has changed society in its wake.

Ms. Znaimer is also Vice-President of News and Information for Classical 96.3FM and AM740. Her first book, “In Cancerland – Living Well Is The Best Revenge” – was published in October 2007 by Key Porter.

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