Current smokers face a higher risk of dementia, according to an Australian-led review of more than 2 million people, which calls for brain health to feature more prominently in anti-smoking campaigns, El.kz cites Xinhua.
Led by Australia's Curtin University, the study examined the link between smoking and three forms of dementia, including all-cause dementia, Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia, providing the most comprehensive update to the evidence in more than a decade, according to a university statement released Monday.
The systematic review and meta-analysis examined 61 studies involving about 2.8 million people. The findings showed that current smokers had a 31 percent higher risk of dementia, a 40 percent higher risk of Alzheimer's disease and a 52 percent higher risk of vascular dementia than people who had never smoked.
The study, published in eClinicalMedicine, also found that dementia risk increased with the number of cigarettes smoked. People smoking 10 cigarettes a day had a 16 percent higher risk of dementia, while those smoking 20 a day had a 34 percent higher risk, compared with people who had never smoked.
Former smokers, however, did not have a higher risk of dementia than people who had never smoked. While the research cannot prove smoking directly causes dementia, the findings add to growing evidence that quitting smoking may be an important part of reducing dementia risk.
Researchers called for brain health to be included in anti-smoking campaigns, cigarette packet warnings and quit-smoking programs.
