Cigarette and Alcohol Use Contribute to Alzheimer's
Most interesting news pegging the tobacco-industry.
A UCSF analysis of published studies on the relationship between Alzheimer's disease a
nd smoking indicates that smoking cigarettes is a significant risk factor for the disease. After controlling for study design, quality of the journals, time of publication, and tobacco industry affiliation of the authors, the UCSF research team also found an association between tobacco industry affiliation and the conclusions of individual studies. Industry-affiliated studies indicated that smoking protects against the development of Alzheimer's Disease, while independent studies showed that smoking increased the risk of developing the disease.
Study findings were published online in the January issue (19:2) of the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease.
Alcohol Use Found in Cognitive Decline
Studies of alcohol use and cognition among the elderly are rare and have mixed results. A study of drinking among the elderly in Brazil has found that heavy alcohol use is associated with more memory and cognitive problems than mild-to-moderate alcohol use, especially among women.
Results will be published in the April 2010 issue of Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research .
