Cognitive Decline High On List of Fears As We Age

Who’s more likely to develop dementia, a man or a woman?

According to health statistics, if you chose the woman you’d be correct. That’s why a newly published study came as a surprise to many experts in the field.

Men may be at higher risk of experiencing mild cognitive impairment (MCI), or the stage of mild memory loss that occurs between normal aging and dementia, than women, according to a study published in the January 25 online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

Mild cognitive impairment is a condition in which people have problems with memory or thinking beyond that explained by the normal rate of aging. The study found that MCI was 1.5 times higher in men compared to women. MCI often leads to Alzheimer’s disease.

“These results are surprising, given that women generally have higher rates of dementia than men,” said study author R.O. Roberts, a Mayo Clinic researcher and member of the American Academy of Neurology.

For the study, a group of 1,450 people from Olmsted County, Minn., between the ages of 70 and 89 and free of dementia at enrollment underwent memory testing every 15 months for an average of three years. Participants were also interviewed about their memory by medical professionals. By the end of the study period, 296 people had developed MCI.

The study found that the number of new cases of MCI per year was higher in men, at 72 per 1,000 people compared to 57 per 1,000 people in women and 64 per 1,000 people in men and women combined. MCI with memory loss present was more common at 38 per 1,000 people than MCI where memory loss was not present, which affected 15 per 1,000 people. Those who had less education or were not married also had higher rates of MCI.

Searching for answers

Research on age-related cognitive decline is hot right now, with baby boomers entering their elder years. Some recent surprising findings:

• Using a nicotine patch may help improve mild memory loss in older adults, according to a study at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn.
• Exposure to light appears to have therapeutic effects on Alzheimer’s patients, a Wayne State University researcher found.
• Researchers found that a lack of iron in the diet during the teenage years can have a negative impact on the brain years later, making the brain more susceptible to disorders including Alzheimer’s.

Surveys of middle-aged Americans have found that cognitive impairment and dementia loom high on our list of fears – and with good reason: Up to a third of adults will experience a MCI as they age.

There are preventive steps we can take to maintain mental sharpness and clarity. The key is to facilitate oxygen-rich blood flow to the brain … even during normal aging, blood flow to the brain decreases by 20 percent! A healthy diet, exercise, daily mental activity and social connections are critical to this process.  Nutritional supplements can help, too.

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