Taxi and ambulance drivers may have a lower risk of dying from Alzheimer’s disease, according to an analysis of U.S. death certificates published in the British Medical Journal. Researchers suggest that the navigation required in these jobs might cause changes in parts of the brain related to the development of the disease.
However, scientists do not provide evidence for this potential explanation, and other experts say there are more reliable ways to reduce Alzheimer’s risk. The researchers examined 9 million adult death certificates from 2020 to 2022 to find out more about those who died from Alzheimer’s disease.
The study found that taxi drivers had a lower rate of Alzheimer’s deaths (1.03%) compared to the general population (1.69%), and ambulance drivers had an even lower rate (0.91%). The researchers hypothesized that occupations like taxi driving, which demand real-time spatial and navigational processing, might be associated with a reduced burden of Alzheimer’s disease mortality.
Other transportation roles where drivers follow predetermined routes did not have a lower rate of Alzheimer’s deaths. However, the study did not investigate whether neurological changes occurred in these professions or whether such changes play a role in Alzheimer’s development.
Other experts warned that the study had limitations and cautioned against drawing firm conclusions. They noted that people choose jobs based on their brain’s needs before symptoms appear, and that age at death was around 64-67 years for taxi and ambulance drivers, which is lower than for other occupations.
The study suggests that cognitive activities can be potentially preventive, but it also highlights the importance of addressing social, biological, and lifestyle factors, such as physical activity, diabetes, and loneliness, which are associated with dementia risk.
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/katherinehignett/2024/12/17/do-taxi-drivers-really-have-a-lower-risk-of-alzheimers