The Best Way to Stall Dementia: Quit Smoking

 From Cornell University

While the number of smokers is at a historical low, data demonstrates that smoking still affects public health. Smoking increases the risk of heart and lung disease, affects bone health, and increases the risk of birth defects. A growing body of research demonstrates that smoking also affects neurological health, specifically cognitive decline.

A longitudinal study published this fall in the journal Nature Communications tracked data from 32,000 adults between ages 50 and 104 for 15 years to identify lifestyle factors linked to cognitive decline. The surveys, conducted in 14 European countries, asked about a broad range of lifestyle factors including smoking, alcohol consumption, physical activity, and social contact. The surveys also measured episodic memory and verbal fluency, two domains affected by dementia.

Researchers found that most participants showed some signs of cognitive decline over the course of the study, but current smokers demonstrated the largest and most significant levels. The only exception were current smokers who had other healthy habits including avoiding or limiting alcohol, moderate to vigorous physical activity, and regular social contact; those participants showed less cognitive decline, similar to that of nonsmokers.

Editor's note: I have spent many decades of my 56 year career as a Psychiatric Social Worker helping people quit smoking. The interesting finding is that a person who is a long time smoker makes, on average, 5 quit attempts before they finally quit for good. So, I encourage people by telling them "Don't quit trying to quit."

Addiction to smoking is one of toughest addictions to overcome.

80% of people for whom alcohol is a significant problem also smoke. The outcome research shows that quitting both smoking and alcohol at the same time gets better outcomes than quitting these chemicals one at a time.

E cigarettes better than tobacco but still not good for your heart if you don't smoke at all

WEDNESDAY, Sept. 20, 2017 (HealthDay News) -- The nicotine in e-cigarette vapor may cause adrenaline levels to spike in the heart, potentially increasing risk of heart attack and sudden cardiac death, a new study reports.

Electronic cigarettes have been promoted as a healthier alternative to tobacco cigarettes because they deliver vastly lower levels of carcinogens, researchers say.

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Based on the results, Middlekauff said, current tobacco cigarette smokers still would be better off switching to e-cigarettes. They would avoid the carcinogens produced by burning tobacco, even though they could face heart health effects from nicotine.

At the same time, there's now evidence that e-cigarettes could pose a health risk to people who have never smoked tobacco because of the nicotine they contain, Middlekauff added.

"If you don't smoke at all, I would strongly recommend against using electronic cigarettes, because they're not harmless," she said.

The study was published Sept. 20 in the Journal of the American Heart Association.

For more click here.

Mixing Pot and Tobacco Increases Dependence Risk

From MedlinePlus on 07/06/16:

TUESDAY, July 5, 2016 (HealthDay News) -- People who mix marijuana with tobacco are at greater risk for dependency and less motivated to find support to quit these drugs, researchers report.

One billion people around the globe use tobacco and 182 million people smoke pot, making these two of the world's most popular drugs, according to the World Health Organization and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.

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When I have been asked by clients to help them quit pot and they also smoke cigarettes, i strongly suggest that they quit smoking tobacco also and help them figure out a way to do that that will work best for them. If the client is willing to make a tobacco quit attempt, they usually are more successful at also quitting pot.