Smokers at Risk for Mind-robbing Condition
September 4th, 2007 Posted by: Dr. Cox
(Ivanhoe Newswire) — Most smokers are well aware of what smoking is doing to their bodies, but they may not know what it’s doing to their minds.
That’s becoming clearer, thanks to the results of a new study by researchers in the Netherlands. Dutch scientists who followed up on more than 6,800 people taking part in a large population-based study report current smoking significantly ups the chances someone will suffer from both general dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.
The effect was most pronounced for people who do not have a gene thought to play a role in promoting the development of Alzheimer’s disease. The researchers speculate people with the gene may already have such an increased risk that adding other risk factors might not increase that risk any further. Another theory, suggested by previous studies, is smoking somehow counterbalances the risk conferred by the gene.
The good news? No increased risk was found for former smokers, which researchers suggest means kicking the habit may be a good way for someone to protect their brain.
The researchers followed the study participants, none of whom suffered from dementia at the beginning of the research, for about seven years. People in the study were 55 years old or older when the investigation began.
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SOURCE: Neurology, 2007;69:998-1005