More ideas on preventing dementia Quit smoking

We all know that smoking, vaping, chewing tobacco is bad for us. According to the World Health Organization, tobacco dependence is the leading cause of preventable death globally, causing an estimated 5 million deaths per year and worldwide medical costs ranging in billions of US dollars. Tobacco is the major risk factor for a number of conditions, including many types of cancers, cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) and risk factors, and respiratory disorders and tobacco cessation has been demonstrated to significantly reduce these health risks. What I did not know is that tobacco dependence is also associated with other disorders and age-related conditions, such as frailty and workability in older people, as well as dementia and cognitive decline.

Quitting tobacco has also been associated with reduced depression, anxiety and stress, and improved mood and quality of life compared with continuing to smoke. Interventions to treat tobacco dependence can be very diverse, based on either or both behavioural/ psychological strategies and various pharmacological treatments. Counselling is the most frequently used approach, but others have also been explored, such as mindfulness-based approaches, cognitive behavioural therapy, behavioural activation therapy, motivational interviewing, contingency management, and exposure and/or aversion to smoking.

One of the therapies for tobacco cessation, nicotine replacement therapy, bupropion and varenicline are the most common. Combinations of non-pharmacological and pharmacological approaches seem to be the most effective in supporting tobacco cessation.

If you are a smoker you know that you should quit. I believe that our governments should fund appropriate programmes aimed at preventing tobacco use uptake and focus on programs that are promoting quitting.

There is a growing body of evidence available on how tobacco smoking is a risk factor for cognitive impairment and dementia. These studies show an association between tobacco smoking (including in mid-life) and dementia, or cognitive decline, in later life. It is never too late to quit. Continuing to smoke is more detrimental than beneficial to your health.

The evidence is strong, that mid-life smoking is correlated to a higher risk of late-life dementia. Experimental laboratory results are in keeping with the evidence suggesting that smoking causes brain damage, underpinning subsequent cognitive decline.