Smoking Increases Risk of Dementia

The wages of sin is dementia. That is the message that has emerged from two studies in the United States showing that the lifestyle choices people make that cause cardiovascular problems in middle age can lead to dementia later in life , Globe and Mail reports.

Meanwhile, a new US study warns that those under 55 who have high blood pressure, diabetes, or smoke, “massively” increase their risk of developing dementia.

The health of more than 11,000 people aged 46-70 was analysed for the study, which found that under-55s who smoke increase their risk of dementia by five times, while diabetes will more than triple it reports the BBC , National Business Review reports.

However, people whose cholesterol was lower -- 200 to 239 -- had a 52 percent higher risk in old age than people with lower cholesterol levels, the team at the University of Kuopio in Finland and Kaiser Permanente's Division of Research reported , Reuters r eports.