Smoke Signals: How Tobacco and Secondhand Smoke Accelerate Aging and Frailty
Are you aware that smoking could be fast-forwarding your body's aging process? A groundbreaking Japanese study has found that older adults who smoke are at a significantly higher risk of becoming physically frail. The risk skyrockets when these smokers are also exposed to secondhand smoke. In simpler terms, frailty is a condition often associated with aging, where the body becomes weak and less resilient to everyday challenges. The study also sheds light on the role of secondhand smoke, revealing that it amplifies the risk of frailty even further. So, if you're a smoker exposed to secondhand smoke, you're essentially playing a high-stakes game with your long-term health.
Article Information
Effects of cigarette smoking and secondhand smoke exposure on physical frailty development among community-dwelling older adults in Japan: Evidence from a 10-year population-based cohort study
Published in Geriatr Gerontol Int, Wei-Min Chu et al.
Abstract
Aim: This study explored longitudinally the relationship between smoking and secondhand smoke and the incidence of physical frailty in community-dwelling Japanese older people.
Methods: Data collected from the National Institute for Longevity Sciences-Longitudinal Study of Aging database from 2002 to 2012 (third to seventh wave) among older adults aged ≥65 years were analyzed. Participants with physical frailty at baseline, as determined by the Cardiovascular Health Study criteria, missing data or who failed to attend follow ups were excluded. Data on current cigarette smoking and secondhand smoke exposure were collected from the third wave results. The generalized estimating equation model was used to examine the longitudinal relationships between smoking, secondhand smoke and subsequent frailty.
Results: The final analysis included 540 participants with a mean age of 71.4 years (standard deviation 4.6). The generalized estimating equation analysis showed that, compared with non-smokers, smokers were at significant risk of physical frailty (odds ratio [OR] 2.39, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.21-4.74) after adjustment for multiple covariates; especially men (OR 3.75, 95% CI 1.76-8.00) and older adults aged ≥75 years (OR 4.12, 95% CI 1.43-11.87). Participants exposed to both smoking and secondhand smoke had a higher risk of physical frailty (OR 3.47, 95% CI 1.56-7.73) than non-smokers without secondhand smoke exposure. Smokers exposed to secondhand smoke were associated with more risk of physical frailty (OR 9.03, 95% CI 2.42-33.77) compared with smokers without secondhand smoke exposure.
Conclusions: Smoking, especially when combined with secondhand smoke exposure, is associated with future physical frailty among older adults. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2023; ••: ••-••.
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