Had a senior moment lately? Men are more likely than women to say yes, according to a new study.
Mild memory loss – the kind that typically occurs as people age – is more common in men than women over the age of 70, Mayo Clinic researchers reported in the journal Neurology this month. R.O. “Rosebud” Roberts, the study’s lead author, said the findings were unexpected since dementia is more common in women than men.
"These results are surprising, given that women generally have higher rates of dementia than men," said Roberts, a member of the American Academy of Neurology.
For the study, researchers tracked 1,450 people from Olmsted County, Minn., between the ages of 70 and 89 who did not have dementia at the start of the survey. Participants had their memories tested every 15 months for an average of three years. They were also interviewed about their memory by medical professionals. By the end of the study period, 296 people had developed mild cognitive impairment (MCI).

The study also found that the number of new cases of dementia per year was higher in men.

"Our study suggests that risk factors for MCI should be studied separately in men and women," said Roberts.
"The risk of MCI in men and women combined was high in this age group of elderly persons. This is disturbing given that people are living longer, and MCI may have a large impact on health care costs if increased efforts at prevention are not used to reduce the risk."

The study was supported by the National Institutes of Health, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the Robert H. and Clarice Smith and Abigail van Buren Alzheimer's Disease Research Program and was made possible by the Rochester Epidemiology Project.