There is a link between dementia, smoking and cardiovascular disease, with differences between women and men. Explanations.
- Conducted among more than 70,000 volunteers aged 18 to 85, the study shows that smoking and cardiovascular disease are risk factors for dementia.
- However, the effects of smoking on neurological health are more pronounced in women and those of cardiovascular disease in men.
- In addition to the increased risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease, smoking and cardiovascular disease also increase the risk of vascular contributions to cognitive impairment and dementia (VCID), which affect memory, thinking and behavior.
According to the latest figures from Public Health France, 30.4% of people aged 18 to 75 smoked tobacco in 2018, i.e. more than 10 million people. Among them were 34.6% men and 26.5% women. Proof that, despite the 75,000 deaths it causes each year, smoking is still common in France.
If many studies point to the risk of cancer, cardiovascular and respiratory diseases caused by tobacco, smoking is not without risk for neurological health either.
This is highlighted by a large study conducted on the associations between smoking and cardiovascular disease on cognitive function by researchers at the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen), a subsidiary of City of Hope (California). Published in the journal Scientific Reports, this new work shows that smoking and cardiovascular disease both impair the ability to learn and remember. However, there is a difference between women and men: among women, it is the effects of smoking that are the most significant, while men are more affected by cardiovascular disease.
Marked gender differences
Matt Huentelman, professor of neurogenomics at TGen and lead author, these results are important because they suggest “that smoking and cardiovascular disease impact verbal learning and memory throughout adulthood, starting at age 18”.
Besides Alzheimer’s disease, the most important cause of cognitive decline is known as “vascular contributions to cognitive impairment and dementia” or VCID, which results from stroke and other brain damage. vascular diseases that lead to significant changes in memory, thinking and behavior. According to this study, it is evident that smoking and cardiovascular diseases exacerbate VCID.
To establish this link, TGen researchers analyzed data on more than 70,000 subjects living around the world, aged 18 to 85. Besides being one of the few studies to assess the effects of cardiovascular disease on cognitive function in young adults, it is also one of the only “highlight some unanticipated but important gender differences in cognitive decline”says Brian Tiep, director of pulmonary rehabilitation and smoking cessation at City of Hope. “The impact on mental acuity appears to be gradual over time – some faster than others. Lifestyle habits related to diet, exercise and smoking are certainly consequential and may differ between men and women. women. People being treated for cancer may be cognitively affected by cancer and its treatment.”he points out.
Quit smoking to stay healthy
However, the reasons for these sex-altering effects are not fully understood, the researchers admit. However, the results point out “the importance of considering biological sex in studying vascular contributions to cognitive impairment and dementia”believes Candace Lewis, co-lead author of the work.
“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. Tiep.
