According to a new study in the U.S., men are more likely than women to suffer momentary memory lapse or senior moments. Although many elderly people suffer slight cognitive problems but men have a higher chance of such memory lapses in old age than women.

Researchers from the Mayo Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center in Rochester, Minnesota, discovered that 19 percent of men between the ages of 70 to 89 years had developed mild cognitive impairment in comparison to only
14 percent of women.

Those suffering from mild cognitive impairment have problems remembering things but they are capable of carrying out activities and usually realize that they are forgetful. The National Institutes of Health says “mild cognitive impairment” falls somewhere in the middle of forgetfulness and dementia.

Researcher Dr. Ronald Peterson found that the findings were surprising since Alzheiner’s disease affects more women than men.

Peterson told Reuters Health, “The gender differences were somewhat surprising to us because most people believe that women are at higher risk than men.”