Women have better memory than men but face greater dementia risk

Though women have better memory than men, they are at a greater risk of suffering from memory loss and dementia as they age, finds a new study.

Though women have better memory than men, they are at a greater risk of suffering from memory loss and dementia as they age, finds a new study.

The memory of women tends to fade as the oestrogen — female sex hormones — levels decline or as women enter the post-menopause phase. Memory loss is a well-documented consequence of the ageing process.

In a study published online in the journal Menopause, the findings showed that as women enter the menopause transition period, they develop increased forgetfulness and “brain fog”.

It also said that women are also disproportionately at risk for memory impairment and dementia when compared with men.

Despite these conditions working against them, middle-aged women still outscore their similarly aged male counterparts on all memory measures, the researchers said.

“Brain fog and complaints of memory issues should be taken seriously, as these complaints are associated with memory deficits,” said Jonn Pinkerton, Executive Director at The North American Menopause Society (NAMS) — a US based non-profit organisation.

For the study, the team included 212 men and women aged 45 to 55 years and assessed their episodic memory, executive function, semantic processing, and estimated verbal intelligence through cognitive testing.

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