A large study conducted on more than 70,000 individuals shows that smoking and cardiovascular disease affect cognitive function. However, the effects of tobacco are more pronounced in women, while men are more affected by cardiovascular disease.
- The large-scale study (more than 70,000 volunteers aged 18 to 85 took part) shows that, while smoking and cardiovascular disease are risk factors for dementia, they do not affect women and men of the same way.
- In terms of cognitive decline, the effects of smoking are more pronounced in women and those of cardiovascular disease in men.
- The study also shows the role played by smoking and cardiovascular disease in vascular contributions to cognitive impairment and dementia (VCID), which affect memory, thinking and behavior.
Every three seconds, in the world, a new case of dementia is diagnosed, whether it is Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, or another neurodegenerative pathology. In total, nearly 50 million people are affected by cognitive decline. If age is the main risk factor, it is not the only one: lack of physical activity, unbalanced diets, harmful consumption of alcohol, smoking and cardiovascular diseases are also pointed out. finger by many studies.
For the first time, a large study by researchers at the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) in Phoenix, Arizona, investigated the impact of smoking and cardiovascular disease on cognitive function. Their results, published in the journal Scientific Reportsshows that these two risk factors influence women and men differently: while the effects of smoking are more pronounced in the former, the latter see their cognitive functions more impaired by cardiovascular disease.
“These findings suggest that smoking and cardiovascular disease impact verbal learning and memory throughout adulthood, starting at age 18, explains Matt Huentelman, professor of neurogenomics at TGen and lead author of the study. Smoking is associated with impaired learning and memory functions in women, while cardiovascular disease is associated with impaired learning and memory functions in men.”
Gender differences in risk factors
So far, attempts to quantify cognitive function in smokers and assess gender differences have yielded mixed results. This work, carried out on more than 70,000 people aged 18 to 85 worldwide, shows gender differences in dementia risk factors. They highlight in particular the role played by smoking and cardiovascular disease in vascular contributions to cognitive impairment and dementia (VCID for “Vascular Contributions to Cognitive Impairment and Dementia”). Resulting from a stroke, VCID causes significant changes in memory, thinking, and behavior.
“The reasons for these sex altering effects are not fully understood, says Candace Lewis, lead author of the study. Our results underscore the importance of considering biological sex in studying vascular contributions to cognitive impairment and dementia.”
For the authors, these findings are important because smoking remains the leading cause of preventable disease and death, and cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of disease and death worldwide. They are also two important predictors of cognitive decline and dementia. They further note that few studies have previously assessed the effects of cardiovascular disease in young adults, and that understanding the relationship between cardiovascular disease and cognitive function in young adults may be necessary to understand the possibilities of treatment and intervention.
“This study confirms the importance of maintaining good cardiovascular health and quitting smoking, not only to support cancer care, but also to improve brain function”concludes Dr. Brian Tiep, who also participated in the work.
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