Memory Loss Comes To Men Earlier Than To Women

Men are facing memory loss problems earlier than women do.

A study by Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota examines 2050 people from Minnesota aged from 70 to 89. Study participants were given tests and questionnaires covering four aspects of memory abilities: 1. memory - estimating how strong is the ability of remembering things, 2. executive function - estimating how strong judgement and problem-solving skills are, 3. understanding and remembering language and verbal information, 4. understanding and remembering visual information.

Researchers found that about 15% of all study participants had mild cognitive decline. Men were found to be 1.67 times more likely to have problems in all four aspects of the study. Both memory and thinking skills decline earlier in men than women. Study results remained the same for all participants no matter of level of education and marital status.

It is already proved that in average men live longer than women. Now it is shown that men suffer from memory decline earlier than women. However, there is another study showing that women are more likely to suffer from dementia than men and that dementia develops in men slower than in women. This study conflicts with the new memory study, because mild cognitive decline is known to progress to dementia from 10% to 12% of patients each year, compared to from 1% to 2% among aging people without memory problems.

"Regarding the mechanism of action of physical exercise and mild cognitive impairment, we speculate that either exercise induces chemicals that protect brain cells, or exercise is simply a marker for an overall healthy lifestyle, or there is some positive interaction among exercise, healthy lifestyle and intellectually stimulating activity," says Yonas Endale Geda from a Mayo Clinic.