top of page

Stopping smoking in later life linked to slower cognitive decline, new international study finds


ree

Older adults who stopped smoking experienced slower memory and verbal fluency decline compared with those who continued to smoke, according to new research using data from ELSA and two other major international ageing studies.


A new study published in The Lancet Healthy Longevity has found that people who stop smoking in mid-to-late life experience slower cognitive decline in the years following quitting than those who continue to smoke.


The research used 18 years of data from 9,436 adults aged 40 to 89 across 12 countries. It combined information from three nationally representative cohort studies: the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA), the US Health and Retirement Study (HRS), and the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE). The international data enabled researchers to track long-term changes in memory and verbal fluency among smokers who stopped compared with those who continued smoking.


Participants who stopped smoking were matched with continuing smokers of similar age, sex, education level, and baseline cognitive ability. Analyses showed that in the six years before quitting, both groups had similar rates of cognitive decline. However, in the six years after quitting, former smokers’ memory and verbal fluency declined significantly more slowly than that of those who kept smoking. These findings were consistent across all age groups, indicating that the cognitive benefits of quitting apply whether people stop smoking in midlife or later.


Dr Mikaela Bloomberg, lead author from University College London, said:

“Our findings show that stopping smoking, even in later life, is linked to better long-term cognitive outcomes. We already know that quitting smoking, even later in life, is often followed by improvements in physical health and well-being. It seems that, for our cognitive health too, it is never too late to quit.


This finding is especially important because middle-aged and older smokers are less likely to try to quit than younger groups, yet they disproportionately experience the harms of smoking.”


The study also found that the difference in cognitive decline after quitting was equivalent to delaying cognitive ageing by around three years over a six-year period. This adds to a growing body of evidence showing that smoking cessation might confer meaningful health benefits at any age.


Professor Andrew Steptoe, senior author and ELSA Director, noted that the results strengthen the global public health case for promoting smoking cessation among older adults. He said:

“These findings demonstrate the value of using international datasets in ageing research. By combining data from England, Europe, and the United States, we have been able to show that the association between smoking cessation and slower cognitive decline extends across diverse populations and policy settings. These multinational results strengthen the evidence base for global public health efforts to reduce smoking in later life.”


The researchers suggest evidence of slower cognitive decline among former smokers could motivate more people to stop. The findings support public health campaigns that stress it is never too late to quit smoking.


The study was funded by the National Institute on Aging in the United States and a consortium of UK government departments: Department for Health and Social Care; Department for Transport; Department for Work and Pensions, coordinated by the National Institute for Health Research.


Also featured in:

 

Reference:

Bloomberg M, Brown J, Di Gessa G, Bu F, Steptoe A. Cognitive decline before and after mid-to-late-life smoking cessation: a longitudinal analysis of prospective cohort studies from 12 countries. The Lancet Healthy Longevity. 2025. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lanhl.2025.100753

 
 
 

Comments

This repository is under review for potential modification in compliance with Administration directives.

bottom of page