The study
For this study, more than 32,000 adults spanning 14 countries between the ages of 50 to 104 were followed for up to 15 years, examining 16 different lifestyle combinations; isolating and focussing on the effects of smoking, alcohol intake, physical activity, and social engagement on cognitive decline. Participants filled out questionnaires as well as underwent memory and verbal fluency testing to measure cognitive function at multiple points over the years to track how cognitive function changed over time.
“Our findings suggest that among the healthy behaviors we examined, not smoking may be among the most important in terms of maintaining cognitive function,” says Dr. Mikaela Bloomberg from University College London. “For people who aren’t able to stop smoking, our results suggest that engaging in other healthy behaviors such as regular exercise, moderate alcohol consumption, and being socially active may help offset adverse cognitive effects associated with smoking.”
What they found
According to the researchers, regardless of other lifestyle factors, non-smokers consistently experienced slower rates of cognitive decline when compared to smokers, with those with a smoking lifestyle having cognitive scores that declined up to 85% more over 10 years than non-smoking lifestyles. Additionally, smokers preferring to socialize less were found to be affected the most with about a third to 50 percent decline in their cognition over 10 years.
The analysis revealed that lifestyles involving smoking were associated with faster cognitive decline regardless of other factors. For example, smokers who had high alcohol intake, limited social contact, and infrequent exercise habits were found to have the quickest rate of cognitive decline. In comparison, smokers with low alcohol intake, frequent social interaction, and frequent exercise habits still experienced quicker cognitive decline than non-smokers.
More research is needed
“Our study is observational so cannot definitively establish cause and effect, but it suggests smoking might be a particularly important factor influencing the rate of cognitive aging,” said Bloomberg. “Previous evidence suggests individuals who engage in more healthy behaviors have slower cognitive decline; however, it was unclear whether all behaviors contributed equally to cognitive decline, or if there were specific behaviors driving these results.”
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