A new study published in the British Medical Journal suggests that taxi and ambulance drivers may have a lower risk of death related to Alzheimer's disease. Conducted by Mass General Brigham, the research found that jobs involving real-time spatial and navigational processing may reduce the risk of Alzheimer's-related mortality compared to other occupations.
Lead author Vishal Patel, MD, MPH, a resident physician at Brigham and Women's Hospital, explained that the brain regions involved in creating cognitive spatial maps, which help us navigate the world, are also linked to Alzheimer's disease development.
The study compared the death rates from Alzheimer's disease in various occupations. While the average death rate from Alzheimer's disease is 3.88%, taxi drivers had a death rate of just 1.03%, and ambulance drivers had an even lower rate of 0.74%. In contrast, other professions requiring skilled navigation, such as bus drivers (3.11%) or pilots (4.57%), did not show significantly different Alzheimer's-related death rates. Researchers believe that the need for taxi and ambulance drivers to determine new routes in real-time may be a key factor in their lower risk.
Although being a taxi or ambulance driver doesn't guarantee protection from Alzheimer's disease, the study suggests that behaviors and cognitive demands specific to these jobs could provide insights into preventing the condition.
Anupam B. Jena, MD, PhD, a senior author on the study, emphasized that the findings are not conclusive but are "hypothesis-generating." He added that the results highlight the need to explore how different occupations might affect Alzheimer's risk and whether certain cognitive activities could offer preventive benefits.
The study analyzed the causes of death of nearly nine million individuals over three years, covering 443 occupations while accounting for factors such as age, sex, race, ethnicity, and education.
Source: People Magazine
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