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I'd better write this down fast before I forget what I'm writing about.
Actually, memory lapses -- the ones we all seem so sure are afflicting us more as we age -- might in fact be less common among older people today than they were just a decade ago.
Researchers at the University of Michigan Medical School found that folks who were 70 or older in 2002 experienced less cognitive impairment (memory loss and dementia) than people that age in 1993. Of 11,000 people studied, 8.7 percent of the 2002 group showed signs of cognitive impairment, down from 12.2 percent of the earlier group.
Reporting in the Feb. 20 online version of the journal Alzheimer's and Dementia, the study team credited gains in education level, wealth and cardiovascular health. Those in the 2002 group likely benefited from more-rigorous education standards and higher rates of high school graduation and college enrollment that took hold when they were young; front-loading cognitive skills seems to keep people's wits quick later in life. And increased attention to cardiovascular health (especially in controlling risk factors such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol and smoking) apparently also paid off in terms of fewer strokes and other vascular problems that can affect the brain.
But the news isn't all upbeat. Although percentage-wise, things look brighter, the sheer size of the population entering seniordom means numbers of cognitively impaired people will remain high for years. Researchers are also watching younger generations. The education- and wealth-related gains those kids might have made may well be outweighed by increases in Type 2 diabetes, unhealthy weight levels and high blood pressure, all of which can cause cognitive impairment.
Another good reason to get moving. Do it now -- before you forget.
Taking the Man's Side
