October 26, 2010
By Brian Bujdos
Although the link between smoking and dementia was previously considered to be a controversial topic, a new study has proven that heavy smoking can increase the risk of dementia/Alzheimer’s disease.
More than 21,000 Kaiser Permanente Northern California members comprised the study, and all were between the age of 50 and 60 when they participated in a survey between 1978 and 1985. Researchers then tracked those people between 1994 and 2008 (when their average age was 71.6) to determine if they had developed dementia.
A total of 25.4% of the study sample (those who were still living) had developed dementia an average of 23 years later. This included 1,136 who were diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease and 416 who had developed vascular dementia – the second-most-common form of dementia.
The results of the study, compiled in Finland and published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, showed that heavy smokers (more than two packs a day) were 157% more likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease than nonsmokers. Heavy smokers were also 172% more likely to develop vascular dementia compared to nonsmokers.
Although the risks for dementia/Alzheimer’s were less for lighter smokers, they were still substantial. Those who smoked between a half pack and a full pack of cigarettes per day had a 37% higher risk of being diagnosed with dementia, and those who smoked between one and two packs each day were 44% more likely to develop some form of dementia. Smokers who puffed away at less than a half a pack a day did not appear to have a significant risk for developing dementia compared to nonsmokers.
Importantly, the study found that the above statistics were negligibly affected by sex or race. So, in essence, all smokers put themselves as the same risk.
The medical researchers noted that smoking may affect the development of dementia via vascular and neurodegenerative pathways in a way very similar to how smoking can contribute to a stroke. They also stated that smoking contributes to oxidative stress and inflammation. These factors are considered to important factors that can help cause the development of Alzheimer’s.
The study’s authors said smoking has long been known to contribute to various forms of cancer, hypertension and cerebral vascular disease. Now, an aging population of Baby Boomers can look at this study and have a new reason to stop smoking.
If anything, a doctor who was independent from the study noted, the risks involved with smoking and dementia were understated in the study. This is because so many study participants may have died from conditions caused from smoking, which obviously prevented them from being tracked through study completion.
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