Men lose memory faster

If you think men have a ‘gold-fish’ memory, then science may prove you right. A new American study has found the prevalence of mild cognitive impairment is 1.5 times higher in men than in women.

Conducted by Mayo Clinic Study of Ageing, researchers were surprised by the findings as the frequency of Alzheimer’s disease was usually reportedly greater in women.

According to neurologist and director of the Mayo Clinic Alzheimer’s Disease Research Centre, Dr Ronald Petersen, further research was needed despite the findings.

“These numbers are staggering and the impact on the health care economy, as well as on individuals and their families, is quite impressive. The need for early diagnosis and therapeutic intervention is increasingly important.”

Dr Petersen and his team conducted a population-based, random sample of about 2,000 individuals, aged 70 to 89 years.

They recruited 1,969 individuals without dementia and found 329 of these participants qualified for the diagnosis of mild cognitive impairment.

The study found that 16% of individuals without dementia had mild cognitive impairment – with a total of 19% of men living with mild cognitive impairment, compared to 14% of women.