Smoking raises risk of midlife memory loss, confusion

According to a new study, middle-aged smokers are considerably more likely than nonsmokers to experience memory loss and confusion, and the chance of cognitive decline is lower for those who have quit smoking recently.The research by The Ohio State University is the first to examine the relationship between smoking and cognitive decline using a one-question self-assessment asking people if they’ve experienced worsening or more frequent memory loss and/or confusion.The findings build on previous research that established relationships between smoking and Alzheimer’s Disease and other forms of dementia, and could point to an opportunity to identify signs of trouble earlier in life, said Jenna Rajczyk, lead author of the study, which appears in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease.It’s also one more piece of evidence that quitting smoking is good not just for respiratory and cardiovascular reasons – but to preserve neurological health, said Rajczyk, a PhD student in Ohio State’s College of Public Health, and senior author Jeffrey Wing, assistant professor of epidemiology.