Here’s another good reason to avoid secondhand smoke: it can increase the risk of dementia. This link was revealed in a newly published joint study from British and Chinese researchers who looked at 5,921 Chinese men and women over age 60. The data gathered included information on the participants’ smoking history, exposure to secondhand smoke and mental status. Published in the January 2013 issue of the journal Occupational and Environmental Medicine, the study not only demonstrated an association between exposure to secondhand smoke and dementia, but found that the risk is similar to that of coronary heart disease. The researchers reported that about 10 percent of the study participants had severe dementia and nearly 15 percent had dementia described as “moderate.” These numbers held true for participants exposed to smoke who never smoked themselves as well as for former smokers. Earlier research has shown that smoking itself raises the risk of dementia and damages parts of the brain responsible for reason.
My take? This is not surprising news. It adds to earlier evidence suggesting that secondhand smoke is even worse than we thought - that exposure to someone else's cigarette smoke can have health effects that are almost as detrimental as active smoking. An analysis of 29 studies of the effects of secondhand smoke on the cardiovascular system showed that within minutes after inhaling even small amounts of secondhand smoke, significant, harmful changes can be measured in blood, blood vessels, and heart rhythm and, overall, concluded that regular exposure to secondhand smoke may increase the risk of heart disease by as much as 30 percent. The latest study results reinforce the need to steer clear of secondhand smoke.
Source:
Ruoling Chen et al, “Association between environmental tobacco smoke exposure and dementia syndromes,” Occupational Environmental Medicine. January 2013;70(1):63-9. doi: 10.1136/oemed-2012-100785. Epub 2012 Oct 26.
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