Smoking & Dementia

There is no question that smoking takes a toll on a person's health. Smoking has been linked to heart disease and cancer. It causes yellow teeth, bad breath, wrinkling of the skin and coughs. Research shows that smoking brings on dementia.

Significance

• A study conducted at Mount Sinai Medical Center in Florida showed that the number of Alzheimer's patients develop the disease six to seven years earlier than non smokers. Experts say that the study confirms that smoking brings on dementia. As reported in Medical Research News, experts agree that not smoking is the best way to reduce the risk of dementia.

Increased Risk

• As written in the September 2007 issue of Neurology, smoking increases the probability of getting dementia through the risk of cerebrovascular disease.

Oxidative Stress

• Dr. Monique Breteler of Eramus Medical Center in the Netherlands wrote that smokers experience more oxidative stress. Oxidative stress occurs when there are too many free radical in the body that can be harmful and cause diseases and dementia.

Passive Smoking

• A comprehensive study conducted by the Peninsula Medical School at the University of Michigan reported that exposure to second hand smoke may lead to dementia. The research focused on memory, numeracy, and verbal function of those who had direct contact with second hand smoke. Cognitive impairment was identified in many who took part in the study.

Fact

• Twenty percent of teens that smoke may never live long enough to get dementia from smoking or by natural causes. Smoking will prematurely kill at least 20,000 of the 100,000 teens who begin smoking at the age of 15 before they reach 70 years of age.