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Warning for chained smokers! Research says tobacco smoking increases the risk of depression..
Study lead author Robyn Wootton from the University of Bristol said, “Our work shows that we should be making every effort to prevent smoking initiation and encourage smoking cessation because of the consequences to mental health as well as physical health.”
The research team used UK Biobank data from 462,690 individuals of European ancestry, comprising 8 per cent current smokers and 22 per cent former smokers for the study.
The team applied Mendelian randomisation approach, which uses genetic variants associated with an exposure (e.g. smoking) to support stronger conclusions about cause-and-effect relationships.
Study senior author Marcus Munafo. said, “The increasing availability of genetic data in large studies, together with the identification of genetic variants associated with a range of behaviours and health outcomes, is transforming our ability to use techniques such as Mendelian randomisation to understand causal pathways.”
“What this shows is that genetic studies can tell us as much about environmental influences – in this case, the effects of smoking on mental health – as about underlying biology,” Munafo added.
It may be surprising to know that smoking not only deteriorates mental health, but much of the excess mortality associated with depression is due to smoking.
