Dementia risk for people who quit smoking in middle age same as someone who never smoked'

"People who stop smoking in middle age can reduce their cognitive decline so dramatically that within 10 years their chances of developing dementia are the same as someone who has never smoked, research has found. Kicking the habit halves the rate of decline in verbal fluency and slows the loss of memory by 20%, according to a study of 9,436 people in England, the US and 10 other European countries."

"Our study suggests that quitting smoking may help people to maintain better cognitive health over the long term even when we are in our 50s or older when we quit, said Dr Mikaela Bloomberg of University College London, the lead researcher. We already know that quitting smoking, even later in life, is often followed by improvements in physical health and wellbeing. It seems that for our cognitive health too it is never too late to quit, she added."

Quitting smoking in middle age substantially slows cognitive decline: verbal fluency decline is halved and memory loss slows by about 20%. Comparisons of 9,436 adults aged 40 and older across 12 countries showed quitters and continuing smokers had similar baseline performance but diverged over six years, with quitters following more favourable cognitive trajectories. Benefits were observed even when quitting in the 50s or later, and quitting often coincides with physical health and wellbeing improvements. Observed associations do not prove causation, but the patterns suggest smoking cessation can support better long-term cognitive health and reduce dementia risk.

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