Smoking and Alzheimer's

Since I have a parent in her sixties, this is news that immediately grabbed my attention. A new study has found that older individuals who are age 55 or older and who smoke may increase their risk of developing Alzheimer's by as much as 50 percent.

Apparently, the nicotine found in cigarettes increases the effects of a particular brain protein that is known to cause Alzheimer's.

What is ironic about this is the fact that, previously, the medical establishment was of the opinion that nicotine actually reduced a person's risk of developing of Alzheimer's by limiting plaque formation in the brain.