Second-hand smoke tied to memory problems

Smokers and people who regularly breathe others cigarette fumes are worse at remembering things on their to-do lists than are people with no tobacco exposure,a small study says. Problems with so-called prospective memory may not only lead to embarrassment if a person forgets to meet with their friends,British researchers write in the journal Addiction. It can also have more-serious consequences such as forgetting to take your medication.

This research extends what is already known about the effects of smoking and second-hand smoke,suggesting there is not only health effects from it,but cognitive consequences too, said Tom Heffernan,the studys lead author from Northumbria University at Newcastle-upon-Tyne.

The study asked participants to complete the Cambridge Prospective Memory Test,which included time-based tasks. People without any exposure to tobacco smoke scored 16.3 points out of 18 on average,while those who breathed second-hand smoke scored 13.7 points and smokers scored 11.6 points.

For event-based activities,the smoke-free students again did better than smokers,but only marginally better than those exposed regularly to second-hand smoke.