Study finds fewer memory problems in those 70 and older

Memory problems, including Alzheimer's disease, appeared less common in people 70 and older in 2002, compared with seniors nearly a decade earlier, researchers reported this past week.


Seniors in 2002 might have gained protection from memory loss because they had more education and were more likely to pay attention to cardiovascular risk factors that can harm the heart and also damage the brain, said study author Kenneth Langa at the University of Michigan.
Langa and his colleagues first studied 7,406 people who at age 70 and older took a standard test of memory and thinking ability in 1993. The team found 12.2 percent of the group had serious memory problems and possibly Alzheimer's.
The team then studied 7,104 people who reached the age of 70 almost a decade later in 2002. They found 8.7 percent of these seniors scored as low on the memory test, the team reported in the Alzheimer's & Dementia Journal.
What accounts for the better brain health in the 2002 group?
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