The brains of women are three years younger than men

Older women perform better than men of the same age with tests of mind, memory and problem solving, a phenomenon that has puzzled scientists until an American research team arrives recently to the conclusion that women's brains are three years younger than men of the same age.

The brain tends to contract with age due to a slowdown in brain metabolism, but this process is faster in men than in women, according to the findings of the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Toronto. 39, University of Washington and published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). .

Scientists have not yet determined why women's brains are younger than men, but they said in a report published on the University's website, in parallel with the publication of the report. study, that what happens in general is that fuel fueled by sugar and that some children and adolescents use it in a process called decomposition protects. As the brain grows and matures, the brain burns the remaining sugar to perform the daily tasks of thought, and the sugar triggers that reach the brain begin to decline at rates that are constant with age, reaching very low levels at when people are 60 years old.

During the study of 205 people who learned to use their brain sugar, study participants (121 women and 84 men) aged 20 to 82 years underwent a PET to measure the flow of oxygen and glucose in their brains.

The researchers determined for each person the portion of sugar badociated with the decomposition of air in different regions of the brain. They designed an algorithm to determine the link between age and brain sugar consumption in men. They also did the same for women.

"I think this discovery explains why women have not experienced cognitive decline in recent years, their brain is actually younger and we are working on a study to confirm it," said Mano Joyal, badistant professor of neuroscience at l & # 39; university.