A new study suggests that taxi and ambulance drivers in the US may have a lower risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease due to their driving-based jobs. Researchers found that these drivers had significantly lower mortality rates from Alzheimer’s, with just 1% of taxi drivers and 0.91% of ambulance drivers dying from the disease.
According to senior study author Dr. Anupam Jena, frequent spatial and navigational processing required in driving can impact brain function over time, potentially reducing dementia risk. The demands of driving jobs may also help prevent hippocampal atrophy, an early characteristic of Alzheimer’s, by keeping drivers sharper.
While the study doesn’t suggest that driving itself prevents Alzheimer’s, it may mask symptoms for longer. Dr. David Wolk, director of the University of Pennsylvania Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, noted that “it’s probably unlikely that being a taxi driver prevented people from getting Alzheimer’s disease pathology in the brain, but it allowed them to mask some of the symptoms for longer.”
Source: https://www.newsnationnow.com/health/alzheimers-taxi-ambulance-drivers