Smoking rots brain more than high blood pressure and being overweight

Smoking rots the brain, causing brain damage that affects memory, learning and reasoning, a study has found. The research, by Kings College London, found smoking is worse for mental health than having high blood pressure or being overweight. The research; cardiovascular risk factors and cognitive decline in adults aged 50 and over: a population-based cohort study, found the risk of having a heart attack or stroke was associated with cognitive decline. According to the study, published in the journal Age and Ageing, smokers over the age of 50 who had high blood pressure were at greatest risk of suffering a stroke. This group also performed poorly on cognitive tasks that tested memory recall, verbal fluency and attention. A spokesperson from the Alzheimer's Society said: "We all know smoking, high blood pressure, high cholesterol levels and a high BMI is bad for our heart. This research adds to the huge amount of evidence that also suggests they can be bad for our head too