December 17th 2024.
Recent research has suggested that the daily tasks performed by taxi drivers and ambulance drivers could potentially protect them from developing Alzheimer's disease. A study conducted by US researchers and published in the BMJ has revealed that those working in these occupations have the lowest mortality rate from the disease compared to individuals in hundreds of other jobs.
Although the findings were only observational, the researchers have raised the possibility that jobs that require a lot of memory use may be linked to a lower risk of Alzheimer's disease. The scientists explained, "The hippocampus, a region of the brain involved in spatial memory and navigation, has been shown to be more developed in London taxi drivers compared to the general population. This same brain region is also involved in the development of Alzheimer's disease, which leads us to believe that occupations that involve frequent spatial processing may potentially decrease the risk of death from Alzheimer's."
To gather their findings, the researchers analyzed death certificates of almost nine million people in 443 different occupations, between January 1, 2020 and December 31, 2022. They found that 3.9% of all deaths were attributed to Alzheimer's disease. Among the 16,658 taxi drivers studied, only 171 died from Alzheimer's disease, and among ambulance drivers, the rate was even lower at 0.74%.
Upon further examination and after accounting for factors such as age and sociodemographic background, it was clear that taxi and ambulance drivers had the lowest proportion of deaths from Alzheimer's disease compared to all other occupations and the general population. This trend was not seen in other transport-related jobs, such as bus drivers or aircraft pilots, possibly due to their reliance on predetermined routes.
Interestingly, the lower rates of death from Alzheimer's disease were not observed in other forms of dementia, which suggests that the changes in the hippocampus may specifically be linked to a reduced risk of Alzheimer's.
The researchers acknowledge that further research is needed to definitively conclude whether the spatial cognitive work required in these occupations could affect the risk of death from Alzheimer's disease. They also suggest that studying the potential preventive effects of cognitive activities could be beneficial. In the meantime, they urge individuals to stay informed with the latest news through the 9NEWS app, available for download on the Apple App Store and Google Play.
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