We all know smoking is bad for your heart and increases the risk of stroke and cardiovascular disease. A study from King’s College in the UK has also found a correlation between smoking and poor performance on a cognitive evaluation. Cognition was evaluated using memory tasks such as having participants learn new words or name as many animals as they could in a minute. Their cognitive ability was then reevaluated after 4 years and again after 8 years from the initial test. The Smokers did “significantly worse” than non smokers according to the researchers. Of course cognition declines somewhat as we age, but the decline was steeper for smokers. This study relates to what is known about smoking and increased risk for dementia. From BBC:

Dr Simon Ridley, from Alzheimer’s Research UK, said: “Research has repeatedly linked smoking and high blood pressure to a greater risk of cognitive decline and dementia, and this study adds further weight to that evidence.

“Cognitive decline as we age can develop into dementia, and unravelling the factors that are linked to this decline could be crucial for finding ways to prevent the condition.

The study appears in the journal Age and Ageing.