Study of 70,000 Individuals Links Dementia to Smoking and Cardiovascular Disease

The largest study of the associations between smoking and cardiovascular disease on cognitive function to date determined that both impair the ability to learn and memorize, reports ScienceDaily . The research published in Scientific Reports reviewed data on more than 70,000 individuals worldwide, and Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) Professor Matt Huentelman said the outcomes "suggest that smoking and cardiovascular disease impact verbal learning and memory throughout adulthood, starting as early as age 18. Smoking is associated with decreased learning and memory function in women, while cardiovascular is associated with decreased learning and memory function in men." Smoking and cardiovascular disease were found to worsen vascular contributions to cognitive impairment and dementia, the most significant cause of cognitive decline next to Alzheimer's disease. "Our findings highlight the importance of considering biological sex in studying vascular contributions to cognitive impairment and dementia," added TGen's Candace Lewis.