ArticleBMC public health2025
The brain structure underlying the nonlinear association between early-life tobacco smoke exposure and the risk for cognitive decline and dementia in adulthood: a large prospective cohort study.
Article in BMC public health, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers.
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Who cites it
7 citing papers in PubMed.
- Smoking Interacts WithBiological psychiatry global open science · 2026Article
- Identification of chemicals targeting dementia genes and pathways in the Comparative Toxicogenomics Database.Alzheimer's & dementia : the journal of the Alzheimer's Association · 2026Article
- Tobacco use and cognitive impairment: A bibliometric analysis of research trends and knowledge structure.Tobacco induced diseases · 2026Article
- Prevention of cognitive decline and dementia: Current evidence on lifestyle factors and dietary patterns.EXCLI journal · 2026Review
- Maternal Smoking during Pregnancy, Smoking Initiation, and the Risk of Epilepsy in the UK Biobank.Neuroepidemiology · 2026Article
- Identification of chemicals targeting dementia genes and pathways in the Comparative Toxicogenomics Database.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2025Article
- Comparative analysis of global and Chinese trends in the burden of ischemic stroke attributable to secondhand smoke from 1990-2021.Tobacco induced diseases · 2025Article
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Authors and funding
11 authors.
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Abstract
backgroundThe impacts of early-life tobacco smoke exposure, including exposure during pregnancy and the initiation of smoking during childhood and adolescence, on cognitive decline and the risk of dementia in later life have not been investigated.
methodsWe used data from the UK Biobank (UKB) to assess early-life tobacco exposure, including in utero exposure and the age at which smoking was initiated. Cox proportional-hazards regression models were employed to gauge the relationships between early-life tobacco smoke exposure and both the risk of cognitive decline and dementia in adulthood. We adjusted for potential confounding factors, including age, gender, race, household income, alcohol consumption status, physical activity, family history of dementia, education level, and other relevant variables.
resultsThis study of 291,113 UKB participants and 4,836 new dementia cases over a median 13.26-year follow-up found that in utero tobacco exposure led to significant cognitive decline in adulthood, but not a higher dementia risk. Those who began smoking in childhood or adolescence had significant cognitive decline and increased dementia risk. Early smoking was linked to various brain structure changes, including volumes of the hippocampus, lateral ventricles, white and gray matter.
conclusionsEarly exposure to tobacco is associated with cognitive decline and an increased risk of dementia in adulthood. This underscores the significance of educational campaigns targeting the reduction of smoking among children, adolescents, and pregnant women as an effective strategy to mitigate cognitive decline and dementia in adulthood.
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