December 21, 2012

Smoking rots the brain


It’s official! “Beware, smoking ‘rots’ the brain by damaging memory, learning and reasoning” according to a new study from King’s College, London. In brain tests and analysis of health and lifestyle data of group of middle agers, found that smoking affects the brain negatively even more than high blood pressure and obesity. People need to be aware that lifestyle could damage the mind as well as the body. Changing such behaviors for the better is a necessity for keeping our cognitive functioning at a premium.

My jibe alluding to Lord Bernard Shaw’s definition of a cigarette being “a long cylindrical object with a fire at one end and a fool at the other” drew some flack from my friends and readers, but perhaps this may provide additional gist to the fact that smoking truly damages our cognitive capacity. That means we need to not be fooled by the persuasive adverts on smoking that draw drones of young people to believe that smoking is chic and socially exciting. But what we don’t know is what it is doing to our body – both our lungs, organs and now they say our brain functioning too. Is this worth the social style we want to project, when we know now beyond a shadow of doubt that smoking will only get you huge health bills to pay when you get past middle age? To young people today, this age may seem far away, but surely the day will come and then we cannot lament for the opportunities that were. And for women, that goes for having its effects for the babies you will have too. How much of a sacrifice is that to make for the momentary ego flashes we want to sustain? 

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