{"id":49119,"date":"2026-04-13T02:45:09","date_gmt":"2026-04-13T02:45:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/?p=49119"},"modified":"2026-04-13T02:45:09","modified_gmt":"2026-04-13T02:45:09","slug":"experts-pinpoint-how-smoking-can-increase-dementia-risk-the-lungs-are-directly-connected-to-brain-health","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/?p=49119","title":{"rendered":"Experts pinpoint how smoking can increase dementia risk: ‘The lungs are directly connected to brain health’"},"content":{"rendered":"


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By MARTI STELLING, HEALTH REPORTER<\/a> <\/p>\n

Published:<\/span>

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Smoking may increase dementia risk by disrupting vital communication channels between the lungs and the brain.<\/p>\n

Previous research has shown that heavy smoking in midlife is linked to more than double the risk of developing dementia, including Alzheimer’s<\/a>\u00a0disease, decades later.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Now, a study from the University of\u00a0Chicago suggests nicotine could trigger a previously unknown biological pathway that helps explain this connection.<\/p>\n

The researchers discovered that specialised lung cells called pulmonary neuroendocrine cells (PNECs) release tiny particles, known as exosomes, in response to nicotine.\u00a0<\/p>\n

These exosomes interfere with how the brain regulates iron, a process essential for healthy nerve cells.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Disrupted iron balance can damage neurons, trigger stress on their energy systems and contribute to processes linked to neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.<\/p>\n

‘This research establishes a clear “lung-brain” axis that may help explain why cigarette smoking is linked to cognitive decline,’ said co-author and postdoctoral researcher Kui Zhang.<\/p>\n

The study, published in Science Advances, relied on laboratory models and stem-cell-derived PNECs.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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Smoking may increase the risk of dementia by disrupting communication between the lungs and brain<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

While the results are promising, the researchers caution that more studies are needed to confirm the mechanism in humans.<\/p>\n

‘The lung is not just a passive target of smoke exposure, but an active signalling organ influencing brain health,’ said co-author Asst. Prof. Joyce Chen of the UChicago Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering and the Ben May Department for Cancer<\/a>\u00a0Research.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The team is now exploring whether blocking the exosomes could eventually lead to therapies that protect the brain from smoke-induced damage.<\/p>\n

Britain’s smoking rate has fallen to a record low, but progress is slowing, and some areas are seeing worrying reversals.<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n

The latest figures from the Office for National Statistics show that 9.1 per cent of adults smoked in 2024, around 4.9 million people.<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n

At the same time, an estimated 5.4 million adults now use e-cigarettes, meaning vaping has overtaken smoking for the first time in the UK, particularly among younger adults<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Despite the overall decline, some areas have seen increases in smoking compared with a decade ago.\u00a0<\/p>\n