Quitting smoking 'may help memory'

QUITTING smoking, even in later life, could help slow down age-related memory problems, a new study has found.

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According to experts, the findings add to evidence that giving up cigarettes may help prevent dementia, but they stress that more research is needed.

A team from UCL (University College London) examined the impact of smoking on age-related, cognitive decline, which is when a person's ability to think, learn and remember gets worse as they get older. The study, published in The Lancet Healthy Longevity journal, included data from 9,436 people aged 40 and over from across 12 countries. Half had quit smoking, while half had continued.