According to a recent study, middle-aged smokers are far more likely than non-smokers to report suffering memory loss and disorientation, while those who have recently quit smoking are less likely to experience cognitive decline.
The Ohio State University study is the first to explore how smoking affects cognitive decline using a one-question self-assessment that asks participants if they’ve seen a deterioration or increase in their frequency of memory loss and/or confusion.
According to Jenna Rajczyk, the study’s primary author, the findings could provide a way to see warning signs earlier in life and build on prior research that linked smoking to Alzheimer’s disease and other types of dementia. The study was published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease.
It’s also more proof that quitting smoking is beneficial for maintaining neurological health, according to senior author Jeffrey Wing, an assistant professor of epidemiology at Ohio State University, and Rajczyk, a candidate in the college’s department of public health.
“The association we 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,” Wing said. A similar difference wasn’t found in the oldest group in the study, which could mean that quitting earlier affords people greater benefits, he said.
The nationwide 2019 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System provided the data for the study.
The research team was able to compare subjective cognitive decline (SCD) measurements for current smokers, recently quit smokers, and individuals who had given up smoking years previously thanks to a survey. About 11% of the 136,018 adults 45 and older in the analysis reported having SCD.
Nearly 1.9 times as many smokers in the study had SCD as nonsmokers did. Less than ten years ago, the frequency was 1.5 times higher among former smokers than among nonsmokers. SCD prevalence was somewhat higher among those who had given up smoking more than ten years prior to the survey than among nonsmokers.
“These findings could imply that the time since smoking cessation does matter, and may be linked to cognitive outcomes,” Rajczyk said.
The simplicity of SCD, a relatively new measure, could lend itself to wider applications, she said.
At earlier ages than we generally witness cognitive deficits that lead to a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease or dementia, Rajczyk said, “This is a basic assessment that could be readily done routinely.” “There isn’t a lengthy list of inquiries. Whether or not you feel as sharp as you previously depended more on your own perception of your cognitive state.”
The potential uses for monitoring SCD are considerably bigger, she said, because many people lack access to more thorough screens or to specialists.
Wing emphasized that it’s crucial to keep in mind that these self-reported experiences don’t constitute a diagnosis or independently prove that a person is suffering decline outside of the course of normal aging. But he said that they might be a cheap, straightforward instrument to think about using more widely.
The study’s authors included Ohio State epidemiology professor Amy Ferketich in their team.
