Researchers found that smokers showed a faster decline in their scores on tests of word memory, relative to non-smokers.
Furthermore, people who smoked in their 40s did worse on tests that measure how fast they could pick out certain letters from a page than non-smokers of the same age.
The relationship between smoking and memory loss appeared strongest in people who smoked more than 20 cigarettes each day. Why smoking may speed up age-related memory loss is not yet clear. It is suspected that smoking may accelerate memory loss by increasing the risk of high blood pressure, which can damage the brain.
However, the relationship between smoking and brain functioning may be slightly more complicated. Smoking could have been causing changes in the brain's blood supply that is not measurable. Alternatively, chemicals in cigarette smoke could also damage the brain directly, Researchers said.
Whatever the reasons for why smoking accelerates memory loss, the message from these results should be clear, Richards said.
Source: American Journal of Public Health
