A new research indicated that jobs that requires continuously navigating through space, including the driving of taxis and ambulances, might be connected to a reduced mortality threat from Alzheimer’s disease.
Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia, gradually destroying memory, thinking, and the ability to perform daily tasks.
The disease primarily affects older adults and causes progressive damage to brain cells, particularly in the hippocampus, a region responsible for memory and spatial navigation.
Here’s What The Study Reveals
The study, which published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ), surveyed data from nearly nine million people across 443 professions in the United States.
Researchers from Massachusetts General Brigham looked into U.S. death data from 2020 to 2022. They found that among the 3,48,000 people whose deaths were attributed to Alzheimer’s, taxi and ambulance drivers had the lowest percentages.
In fact, only 1.03% of taxi drivers and 0.74% of ambulance drivers died from Alzheimer’s, which is much lower than the general rate of 3.88%.
However, in other transportation-related careers, bus drivers comprised 3.11%, and aircraft pilots comprised 4.57%, with no comparable trend. Researchers explained that such jobs involved fixed routes or set navigation as opposed to the latter jobs requiring real-time decision making as in taxi and ambulance driving.
The study suggests that navigating unpredictable routes may exercise the hippocampus, delaying or even mitigating the changes seen in the brain as one ages and develops Alzheimer’s. Other studies also established that London taxi drivers had an enlarged hippocampus, supporting the view that frequent use of spatial and navigational skills benefits the health of the brain.
According to Dr. Vishal Patel, lead author of the study, “Our findings raise the possibility that regularly using spatial and navigational skills in certain jobs might help reduce Alzheimer’s risk.”
However, the researchers note this is an observational study and hence cannot confirm cause and effect. It is also a possibility that people who might be predisposed to Alzheimer’s are less likely to enter or remain in jobs requiring high levels of cognitive demands. Further studies are required to ascertain if cognitive activities such as navigation would actively prevent Alzheimer’s disease.
“While these results are certainly intriguing and deserve further research, they do give one pause to think whether specific forms of cognitive activities could, in fact, mitigate one’s risk for Alzheimer’s disease,” Dr. Anupam B. Jena, a coauthor on the report, said.
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