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Women
Mentally Sharper
Than Men
In Old Age
NEW
YORK (Reuters Health) - Very old women appear to have better mental
abilities than their male counterparts, even after taking into
consideration education and other factors that affect mental performance,
also known as cognitive function, researchers report.
``At age 85,
women perform better than men on a number of cognitive tests despite
their lower level of education,'' Dr. A. J. M. de Craen, of Leiden
University Medical Center in the Netherlands, said in an interview
with Reuters Health.
``It is known
that at a younger age, women perform slightly better on these
tests compared to men. However, the difference we found is far
greater than the difference found in younger subjects. We think
that it is more likely that biological differences account for
the observed difference in cognitive function,'' he added.
In the study,
the team of researchers tested mental abilities including speed
and memory of about 600 men and women aged 85 years old.
``Good cognitive
speed was found in 33% of the women and 28% of the men. Forty-one
percent of the women and 29% of the men had a good memory,'' the
report indicates. After taking into account factors that can influence
mental abilities, including education and depression, the odds
of having a better memory was 80% higher in women than in men.
About 70% of the women and 53% of the men had limited formal education.
The researchers
note that formal education by itself cannot explain the differences
in mental abilities that are seen in men and women.
``These findings
support the alternative hypothesis that biological differences...between
men and women account for the sex differences in cognitive decline,''
the authors conclude.
``It is known
that women at age 85 are relatively free from cardiovascular disease
as compared to men,'' de Craen told Reuters Health. ``We think
that this relative absence of cardiovascular disease--the relative
absence of atherosclerosis--in 85-year-old women is a likely biological
explanation,'' he added.
SOURCE:
Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry 2001;71:29-32.
Reference
Source 89
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