(Patty Onderko/ Health Central) — You know about the damage smoking does to your lungs. You probably also know that smoking puts you at significantly higher risk for not just lung cancer, but more than 15 other cancers, as well, according to the National Cancer Institute. And you’re likely aware that smoking stinks for your heart, too, causing approximately one of every four cardiovascular disease deaths in the U.S., according to the American Heart Association. But did you know that smoking can damage your brain, causing memory loss and cognitive decline?
Unfortunately, it’s true. One 2022 study published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease found that middle-aged smokers were twice as likely to have experienced cognitive decline than similarly aged nonsmokers. Other studies have shown that smokers have lower IQs and slower cognitive processing speeds, higher rates of Alzheimer’s disease and dementia, and even a greater ratio of brain volume loss compared to nonsmokers. (Smoking affects adolescent brains even more negatively.)
Overall, “the evidence suggests that tobacco smokers experience a more rapid age-related decline in cognitive function than non-smokers or ex-smokers,” says Paul J. Kenny, Ph.D., director of the Drug Discovery Institute at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City. (…)