Quit smoking to stay smart

GIVING up smoking makes people smarter, even in middle age, according to research.

Lead author Professor Kristine Yaffe said: “It’s encouraging to know there are behaviours people can modify in midlife to help prevent the steepest declines in thinking and memory as they age.”

The findings from California University in San Francisco, based on a study of 2,675 people, were published in Neurology.