---
title: "Psych News Alert: Smoking Causes Cognitive Decline in Middle-Aged Men"
description: Men who smoke suffer greater cognitive decline during the transition from midlife to old age than those who have never smoked, researchers a...
image: https://alert.psychnews.org/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/smokingman_55589104-Jun-24-2025-06-33-24-1023-PM.jpg
---

 2/9/12 12:00 AM

# Smoking Causes Cognitive Decline in Middle-Aged Men

![Picture of Psychiatric News Alert](https://alert.psychnews.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Psych%20News%20Email%20Banners/PN-Blue-Box_rgb.png?width=50&name=PN-Blue-Box_rgb.png) [ Psychiatric News Alert ](https://alert.psychnews.org/author/psychiatric-news-alert)

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Men who smoke suffer greater cognitive decline during the transition from midlife to old age than those who have never smoked, researchers at University College London found in a study published online February 6 in the *Archives of General Psychiatry*. The results came from the Whitehall II study, a cohort study of 5,099 men and 2,137 women (mean age 56) performed in three phases: 1997 to 1999, 2002 to 2004, and 2007 to 2009. The cognitive test battery included tests of memory, vocabulary, executive function, and a global cognitive score summarizing performance across all tests. Smoking status was assessed over the entire study period.

In women, cognitive decline did not vary with smoking status. Ex-smokers with at least a 10-year cessation were also unaffected.

Smoking is also high on the list of suicide risk factors. Read more about that topic  in *[Psychiatric News](http://psychnews.psychiatryonline.org/newsarticle.aspx?articleid=114041)*. 

(Image: Daniel Kirkegaard Mouritsen/Shutterstock.com)

[cognitive decline](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/cognitive-decline), [smoking](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/smoking), [smoking cessation](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/smoking-cessation), [suicide risk](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/suicide-risk)

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[smoking](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/smoking), [children](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/children), [absenteeism](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/absenteeism), [nicotine](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/nicotine)

## [Smokers' Children Miss More School Days](https://alert.psychnews.org/2011/10/smokers-children-miss-more-school-days.html)

![Picture of Psychiatric News Alert](https://alert.psychnews.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Psych%20News%20Email%20Banners/PN-Blue-Box_rgb.png?width=50&name=PN-Blue-Box_rgb.png) [Psychiatric News Alert](https://alert.psychnews.org/author/psychiatric-news-alert) 

 10/20/11 12:00 AM

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[![](https://alert.psychnews.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/smoking%20girls_29491930-Jun-24-2025-05-13-38-7494-PM.jpg?height=200&name=smoking%20girls_29491930-Jun-24-2025-05-13-38-7494-PM.jpg) ](https://alert.psychnews.org/2011/12/teens-lower-smoking-rates-mask.html)

[smoking](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/smoking), [smoking cessation](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/smoking-cessation), [smoking and mental illness](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/smoking-and-mental-illness), [cigar smoking](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/cigar-smoking)

## [Teens' Lower Smoking Rates Mask Troubling Trend](https://alert.psychnews.org/2011/12/teens-lower-smoking-rates-mask.html)

![Picture of Psychiatric News Alert](https://alert.psychnews.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Psych%20News%20Email%20Banners/PN-Blue-Box_rgb.png?width=50&name=PN-Blue-Box_rgb.png) [Psychiatric News Alert](https://alert.psychnews.org/author/psychiatric-news-alert) 

 12/13/11 12:00 AM

[ Read more ](https://alert.psychnews.org/2011/12/teens-lower-smoking-rates-mask.html)

[![](https://alert.psychnews.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/smoking_iStock-938353306-Jun-24-2025-07-47-20-2177-PM.jpg?height=200&name=smoking_iStock-938353306-Jun-24-2025-07-47-20-2177-PM.jpg) ](https://alert.psychnews.org/2019/06/smoking-increases-risk-of-recurrent.html)

[suicide](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/suicide), [bipolar disorder](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/bipolar-disorder), [Journal of Affective Disorders](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/journal-of-affective-disorders), [cigarette smoking](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/cigarette-smoking)

## [Smoking Increases Risk of Recurrent Suicide Attempts in Patients With Bipolar Disorder, Study Finds](https://alert.psychnews.org/2019/06/smoking-increases-risk-of-recurrent.html)

![Picture of Psychiatric News Alert](https://alert.psychnews.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Psych%20News%20Email%20Banners/PN-Blue-Box_rgb.png?width=50&name=PN-Blue-Box_rgb.png) [Psychiatric News Alert](https://alert.psychnews.org/author/psychiatric-news-alert) 

 6/17/19 12:00 AM

People with bipolar disorder who smoke tobacco are more likely to have recurrent suicide attempts,...

[ Read more ](https://alert.psychnews.org/2019/06/smoking-increases-risk-of-recurrent.html)

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