It has long been known that smoking gradually leads to heart disease and lung cancer among other serious conditions, but new research should trigger alarm signs within middle-aged smokers, as they appear to be more predisposed to memory loss than nonsmokers.

The study, published in the June 9 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine journal, involved 10,308 British civil servants with ages between 35 to 55 who were enrolled in the Whitehall II study. The participants were asked about their smoking habits between 1985 and 1988 and again between 1997 and 1999. At the end of the follow-up period, about 5,400 of the participants underwent tests of memory, reasoning, vocabulary, and verbal fluency. In 2004, 4,659 of the study participants were retested.

The study findings showed a clear link between smoking and “memory deficit and decline in reasoning abilities,” in middle-aged smokers, lead researchers Severine Sabia, of the Institut National de la Sante et de la Recherche Medicale in Villejuif, France, said, as quoted by Reuters.

The study found that smokers ranked in the lowest 20 percent of all those examined, compared with people who had never smoked. Also, ex-smokers had a 30 percent lower risk than smokers of poor vocabulary and low verbal fluency.

“Smoking is associated with poorer cognitive function in midlife. However, 10 years after smoking cessation, there is still little adverse effect of smoking on cognition,” Sabia said.

The study also found that those quitting smoking reported drinking less alcohol, eating more fruits and vegetables and taking more exercise. “Giving up smoking in mid-life is accompanied by improvement in other health behaviors.”