A pharmacy chain is encouraging smokers to reach out for support with quitting the habit this No Smoking Day on Wednesday, March 8. This year, the theme for No Smoking Day is ‘Stopping smoking protects your brain health’ in recognition of the fact that smoking has been found to increase your risk of dementia – although most people don’t realise that smoking is actually bad for your brain as well as your body.
According to recent research by smokefree charity ASH, while over three-quarters of smokers knew that their habit could lead to their developing a lung or respiratory disease, only just under 1 in 5 knew that it could increase their risk of developing dementia too.
Smoking increases the risk of vascular problems, which have been linked to the two most common forms of dementia, Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia – and it also increases the risk of strokes and bleeds in the brain. The World Health Organisation estimates that 14% of cases of Alzheimer’s disease worldwide are potentially attributable to smoking.
