Harvard study: taxi and ambulance drivers have fewer Alzheimer's deaths
Turns out, jobs that involve a lot of real-world navigation, like taxi and ambulance driving, might help protect your brain.
A huge Harvard study found these drivers had the lowest rates of Alzheimer's disease-related deaths, possibly because their work keeps their minds sharp with constant route planning and adapting to new situations.
Bus drivers, who stick to set routes, didn't get the same benefit.
Navigation practice may protect hippocampus
The research backs up earlier findings linking navigation skills to a healthier hippocampus, the part of your brain that handles memory and spatial awareness (and is hit early in Alzheimer's disease).
Experts say you don't need to become a cab driver; just regularly challenging your brain with new places or spatial tasks could help keep it strong as you age.