Driving can help you avoid Alzheimer's death, study finds
A new Harvard study found that taxi and ambulance drivers had about a 1% Alzheimer's death rate.
Researchers think it's because these jobs keep the brain active with constant navigation and quick decisions.
Route planning and adapting on the fly work out your
The study points out that skills like route planning and adapting on the fly work out your hippocampus—the part of your brain that handles memory and navigation, which is hit early by Alzheimer's.
Fun fact: London cab drivers have been shown to grow bigger hippocampi thanks to all their city map memorizing.
Pilots and ship captains had higher Alzheimer's death rates
Pilots and ship captains, whose work tends to be more autopilot or routine, had Alzheimer's death rates above 2%.
The takeaway? Regularly challenging your brain with real-world navigation might help protect it as you age.
While this isn't a guarantee, the findings suggest that keeping
While this isn't a guarantee, the findings suggest that keeping mentally engaged—whether through navigating new places or other stimulating activities—could help lower Alzheimer's risk.
Pair it with healthy habits like exercise, sleep, and social time for even better odds.