Overview
- Across six years after cessation, memory decline slowed by about 20% and verbal fluency decline roughly halved compared with continuing smokers.
- The analysis followed 9,436 adults aged 40+ in 12 countries, matching more than 4,700 quitters to equal continuing smokers with similar pre-quit trajectories.
- The two groups showed comparable decline in the six years before some quit, then their cognitive paths diverged after quitting.
- Authors and independent experts stress the study cannot prove causation and note potential confounders such as socioeconomic background and alcohol use.
- Findings align with proposed mechanisms involving vascular injury, inflammation and oxidative stress, and add policy impetus to invest in cessation services as UK adult smoking prevalence stands at about 11.9%.