US seniors 'smarter' than their English peers: study reports:
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U.S. seniors performed significantly better than their counterparts in England on standard tests of memory and cognitive function, according to a new study.
The study is the first known international comparison of cognitive function in nationally representative samples of older adults in the United States and England. The report is published in the June 25 peer-reviewed journal BMC Geriatrics.
"The better cognitive performance of U.S. adults was surprising since U.S. adults had a higher prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors, which are generally associated with cognitive decline and poorer mental function," says University of Michigan researcher Kenneth Langa, lead author of the study.
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The sample size was fairly large so it doesn't appear to be a statistical fluke. The study had data on 8,299 Americans and 5,2776 Brits.
The findings were dramatic:
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The U.S. advantage in "brain health" was greatest for the oldest old---those age 85 and older. On a population level, the overall difference in cognitive performance between the two countries was quite large---approaching the magnitude associated with about 10 years of aging.
In other words, the cognitive performance of 75-year-olds in the U.S. was as good, on average, as that of 65-year-olds in England.
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It looks like it is good to be old in America.
Here are some of the factors the study found which seem to help:
1) A higher level of education and net worth in the United States.
2) Lower levels of depression in the US. Only 15% of depressed adults in England received medication to treat depression, compared to 75% of depressed U.S. adults.
3) Lower levels of alchohol consumption. "More than 50 percent of U.S. seniors reported no alcohol use, compared to only 15.5 percent of English seniors."
4) Earlier retirement age in England.
5) American adults are more likely to be "more likely to be taking medications to treat the condition."
Items 2 and 5 make me wonder if the British Health Care system may be bad for old people.
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Technorati tags: America, England, aging, smart, Health, Care
2 comments:
Wouldn't many of today's seniors have been children or adolescents during WWII? From my understanding, there was fairly widespread malnutrition in the UK during the war. In general, this was a much lesser problem in the U.S.
I wonder if the early deprivation might have had lasting negative effects on the brains of those experiencing it. The difference probably wouldn't be as noticeable during the individual's physical prime since we typically use only a fraction of our maximum capacity for thought. But with the normal age-related decline, the senior brain is using a greater percent of its maximum. So any difference becomes a lot more noticeable.
I'm just hypothesizing here...
That is a great alternative hypothesis. It makes sense.
I wonder if they can break down those who lived on farms and maybe had more access to food?
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