Smoking Rots Brain and Advances Memory Loss, According to UK Study: Could Habitual Cigarette Use Lead to Dementia?

According to a new study conducted by King's College in London, along with a slew of other health risks, it's now proven that smoking actually rots the brain by damaging memory, learning, and reasoning. The new study was conducted with 8,800 people over 50 years of age, and initially set out to prove how one's lifestyle could directly impact the mind as well as the body. Researchers were out to investigate the links between the likelihood of a heart attack or stroke and the brain from smoking, and ended up discovering that habitual cigarette inhalation also leads to certain unhealthy neurological effects. Now researchers are left wondering, could such cognitive decline lead to serious dementia?

Participants took part in a number of brain tests over an eight-year span, and were asked to learn new words or name as many animals as they possible could in a matter of a minute. According to the BBC, final results showed that the overall risk of a heart attack or stroke was "significantly associated with cognitive decline," with those at the highest risk showing the greatest decline. There was also proof of a distinct link between smoking and lower test scores... researcher Dr. Alex Dregan explains:

"Cognitive decline becomes more common with ageing and for an increasing number of people interferes with daily functioning and well-being. We have identified a number of risk factors which could be associated with accelerated cognitive decline, all of which, could be modifiable. We need to make people aware of the need to do some lifestyle changes because of the risk of cognitive decline."

While smoking is now proven to be associated with memory loss, researchers still do not know how such a cognitive decline could affect an individual's everyday life (in other words, could such an early drop in brain function lead to more serious conditions such as dementia).

Alzheimer's Reasearch (UK)  Dr Simon Ridley insists, "Research has repeatedly linked smoking and high blood pressure to a greater risk of cognitive decline and dementia, and this study adds further weight to that evidence. Cognitive decline as we age can develop into dementia, and unraveling the factors that are linked to this decline could be crucial for finding ways to prevent the condition. Eating a balanced diet, maintaining a healthy weight, exercising regularly, getting your blood pressure and cholesterol checked and not smoking can all make a difference."