US study shows smoking is associated with a reduction in cognitive ability in older adults
“According to preliminary research among adults aged 60 and older presented at the American Stroke Association’s International Stroke Conference, February 8-11, 2022, the more people smoke, the worse they perform on cognitive tests, regardless of other health conditions known to affect cognition.
Findings come from 2011-14 data collected from 3,244 participants of the U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), a large, ongoing national health database managed by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) since the early 1960s. https://www.news-medical.net/news/20220203/Study-shows-a-cause-and-effect-link-between-cigarette-smoking-and-cognitive-impairment.aspx
Current smoking status was self-reported by 23% of participants, and importantly, an objective measure of exposure to cigarette smoke was determined by cotinine, a biomarker in the blood.
Higher cotinine levels were associated with significantly worse scores on the Digit Symbol Substitution Test (DSST), a test that reflects multiple aspects of cognition, such as processing speed, attention, and working memory.”
S. Hamann
