TOBACCO SMOKING, AGEING AND HEALTH AMONG THE ELDERLY: A LONGITUDINAL POPULATION STUDY OF 70-YEAR-OLD MEN AND AN AGE COHORT COMPARISON

Abstract

In the population study Seventy-year-old People in Göteborg, 449 70-year-old men were examined in 1971/72. Out of these, 331 were re-examined in 1976/77 at age 75, together with a cohort-comparison group of 474 70-year-old men. Cohort differences and a lower smoking prevalence at higher ages were observed. The loss of body weight after the age of 70 was higher in smokers and was not due to differences in energy intake. The levels of certain blood components showed differences among smokers compared to non-smokers, indicating an influence on liver metabolism and on the hormone function. Tobacco smoking was not only related to ill health but also to an impaired functional capability in bone mineral density, pulmonary function and muscle strength.