US pensioners are mentally ’10 years younger’ than those in England.

American pensioners are mentally 10 years younger than their English counterparts due to better education and quality of life.   Researchers found that Americans had better memories, were quicker witted and were generally smarter than their English counterparts. And the older the pensioner, the greater the difference.

Researchers from the Peninsula Medical School, the University of Cambridge and the University of Michigan have carried out the first international comparison of cognitive function in nationally representative samples of older adults in the US and England.

The study compared 8,299 Americans with 5,276 British seniors aged 65 and older. The same cognitive tests were administered to the two groups in the same year. The US advantage in ‘brain health’ was greatest for those aged 85 and older. On a population level, the overall difference in cognitive performance between the two countries was quite large and amounted to a decade of ageing – the cognitive performance of 75-year-olds in the US was as good, on average, as that of 65-year-olds in England.

U.S. adults reported significantly lower levels of depressive symptoms than English adults, and this may have accounted for some of the U.S. advantage in ‘brain health’ since depression is linked with worse cognitive function.

The research team also found significant differences in alcohol consumption between the U.S. and English seniors. More than 50 percent of U.S. seniors reported no alcohol use, compared to only 15.5 percent of English seniors. Previous research has shown that moderate alcohol consumption, compared to abstinence, is linked with better cognition among those aged 50 and over.

US citizens tend to retire later than those in England, and this too can have an effect on cognitive performance – there may be a connection between early retirement and the early onset of cognitive decline.”

Dr David Llewellyn, one of the researchers, added: “With the population of the world ageing at a rapid rate, future cross-national studies regarding medical and social factors and ageing can only make significant contributions to the quality and delivery of public health.“

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