Study: Taxi and ambulance drivers are likely to die less due to Alzheimer's

In a recent study, it was revealed that taxi and ambulance managers, whose work needs spatial treatment and intense navigation skills, have the lowest levels of death due to Alzheimer’s disease compared to other professions. The study, published in the British Medical Journal, is based on observation and cannot confirm the existence of a direct causal relationship, but researchers indicate that the posts dependent on intense memory, such as managing taxis and ambulances, are linked to some kind of protection against Alzheimer’s disease. It is known that the area responsible for spatial memory and navigation is in the brain, strongholds, and previous research has shown that this area is more advanced for taxi drivers in London, compared to the general public. Forests are one of the brain regions affected by the development of Alzheimer’s disease, which increases the possibility that occupations that need intense spatial treatment are associated with the low mortality rate due to this disease. Taxi and ambulance managers and a team of US researchers conducted an analysis of the death certificates for more than 9 million people, between January 1, 2020 and December 31, 2022, which included the basic professional data the deceased spent during his work life, in addition to demographic information, such as age, gender, race and level of education. Of the 348 thousand and 328 deaths, due to Alzheimer’s (3.9% of the sample), the death rate among taxi drivers was only 1.03% (171 out of 16 thousand and 658 drivers), and between 0.74% ambulance drivers (10 out of one thousand and 348 drivers). After amending data by age and other demographic factors, taxi drivers and fewer ambulances were killed due to Alzheimer’s, compared to the rest of the professions (1.03%and 0.91%respectively) and compared to the general rate of the population (1.69%). This protection has not been observed in other transport occupations such as riding buses or aircraft, which depends on solid roads, which suggest that neuro transfer in the strongholds, or other parts of the brain, may be behind this decrease in the risk of Alzheimer’s under taxi and ambulance drivers. The researchers acknowledge that there are restrictions on the study, including the possibility that people who are at greater risk of developing ‘Alzheimer’s’ are less likely to enter or stay in occupations that need extensive memory skills. However, the researchers pointed out that Alzheimer’s symptoms usually appear after the working age, which makes this interpretation less likely. The researchers explained: “We do not see these results as a conclusive conclusion, but as a generation for hypotheses.” They added: “There is a need for more research to determine whether the cognitive activities associated with these professions already affect the risk of death as a result of Alzheimer’s, and whether any cognitive activities can be considered a possible preventive way.” The study provides new visions on the relationship between functions, daily activities and brain health, which opens the way for more studies to understand how to improve spiritual activities to prevent degenerative brain diseases, such as Alzheimer’s.