RESEARCH by academics in the North East suggests that smoking can not only harm people’s health but also their memory.

A study by a team at Northumbria University shows smokers lose around a third of their everyday memory when compared to non-smokers.

The research also found that former smokers who had kicked the habit found that their ability to recollect information is restored to almost the same level as the non-smokers.

The study involved more than 70 18-to-25-year-olds and a tour of the university’s campus.

Participants were challenged to remember small details, such as bands listed to play at the students’ union and tasks completed at various points – known as a real world memory test.

Smokers performed badly, remembering just 59% of tasks, while those who had given up smoking remembered 74% and those who had never smoked recalled 81% of tasks.