Two jobs may lower the odds of dying from Alzheimer's disease - but why?

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a devastating disease.

阿尔茨海默病（AD）是一种毁灭性的疾病。

Despite decades of research, science has not pinned down causes or discovered highly effective treatments .

尽管进行了数十年的研究，科学尚未查明原因或发现高效的治疗方法。

And while a healthy diet, regular exercise, and other measures can help people slow or avoid AD, we badly need more routes for preventing it.

虽然健康饮食、定期锻炼和其他措施可以帮助人们减缓或避免 AD，但我们迫切需要更多的途径来预防 AD。

That's why a new study is so intriguing - and potentially game-changing.

这就是为什么一项新研究如此有趣，而且有可能改变游戏规则。

Researchers have found that the risk of death due to AD is markedly lower in taxi and ambulance drivers compared with hundreds of other occupations.

研究人员发现，与数百种其他职业相比，出租车和救护车司机因 AD 死亡的风险明显较低。

And the reason could be that these drivers develop structural changes in their brains as they work.

原因可能是这些驾驶员在工作时大脑会发生结构变化。

In the past two decades, small studies demonstrated that London taxi drivers tend to have an enlargement in one area of the hippocampus, a part of the brain involved with developing spatial memory.

在过去的二十年里，小型研究表明，伦敦出租车司机的海马体中的一个区域往往会增大，海马体是大脑中与空间记忆发展有关的部分。

Interestingly, that part of the brain is one area that's commonly damaged by AD.

有趣的是，大脑的这一部分是 AD 经常损害的区域。

These observations led to speculation that taxi drivers might be less prone to AD than people with jobs that don't require similar navigation and spatial processing skills.

这些观察结果导致人们猜测，出租车司机可能比从事不需要类似导航和空间处理技能的工作的人更不容易患AD。

A recent study explores this possibility by analyzing data from nearly nine million people who died over a three-year period and had occupation information on their death certificates.

最近的一项研究通过分析三年内死亡的近 900 万人的数据来探讨这种可能性，这些人的死亡证明上有职业信息。

After accounting for age of death, researchers tallied Alzheimer's-related death rates for more than 443 different jobs.

在考虑了死亡年龄后，研究人员统计了超过 443 种不同工作中与阿尔茨海默病相关的死亡率。

The results were dramatic.

结果是戏剧性的。

One possible explanation is that jobs requiring frequent real-time spatial and navigational skills change both structure and function in the hippocampus.

一种可能的解释是，需要频繁的实时空间和导航技能的工作会改变海马体的结构和功能。

If these jobs help keep the hippocampus healthy, that could explain why AD-related deaths - but not deaths due to other types of dementia - are lower in taxi and ambulance drivers.

如果这些工作有助于保持海马体健康，那就可以解释为什么出租车和救护车司机中与 AD 相关的死亡（而不是其他类型的痴呆症导致的死亡）较低。

It could also explain the older studies that found enlargement in parts of the hippocampus in people with these jobs.

这也可以解释之前的研究发现从事这些工作的人的海马体部分增大。

And why aren't bus drivers, pilots, and ship captains similarly protected?

为什么公交车司机、飞行员和船长没有受到类似的保护？

The study authors suggest these other jobs involve predetermined routes with less real-time navigational demands.

研究作者认为，这些其他工作涉及预定路线，实时导航需求较少。

Thus, they may not change the hippocampus as much.

因此，它们可能不会对海马体产生太大的改变。

A single research study is rarely definitive, especially an observational study like this one.

一项研究很少是确定的，尤其是像这样的观察性研究。

Observational studies can only identify a relationship - not establish a firm cause - between a protective factor and a condition like AD.

观察性研究只能确定保护因素与 AD 等疾病之间的关系，而不能确定确切的原因。

There could be other explanations for the findings.

研究结果可能还有其他解释。

For example:

例如：

And even if driving a taxi or ambulance could lower your risk of AD-related death, what's the impact of GPS technology now in widespread use?

即使驾驶出租车或救护车可以降低 AD 相关死亡的风险，现在广泛使用的 GPS 技术有何影响？

If these jobs now require less navigational demand due to GPS, will the protective effect of these jobs evaporate?

如果这些工作现在由于 GPS 而需要更少的导航需求，那么这些工作的保护作用会消失吗？

You might wonder if these findings can be applied to anyone who wants to lower their risk of AD.

您可能想知道这些发现是否可以应用于任何想要降低 AD 风险的人。

For example, could outdoor treasure-hunting activities that require complex navigational skills, such as orienteering and geocaching , help stave off AD?

例如，需要复杂导航技能的户外寻宝活动（例如定向运动和寻宝）是否有助于避免AD？

At least one small study found that orienteering experts had better spatial memory than orienteering novices.

至少一项小型研究发现，定向运动专家比定向运动新手拥有更好的空间记忆。

Could puzzles, video games, or even board games designed to build spatial skills reduce the risk of AD?

旨在培养空间技能的拼图、视频游戏甚至棋盘游戏能否降低 AD 风险？

Think Rubik's Cubes and jigsaw puzzles, Minecraft and Tetris, chess and Labyrinth.

想想魔方和拼图游戏、《我的世界》和俄罗斯方块、国际象棋和迷宫。

A round of Battleship, anyone?

一轮战舰，有人吗？

And if these activities are actually helpful, how often would you need to play?

如果这些活动确实有帮助，您需要多久玩一次？

I look forward to the results of studies exploring these questions.

我期待着探索这些问题的研究结果。

Until then, it's best to rely on experts' recommendations to reduce your risk of AD , including high-quality sleep, diet, and regular exercise.

在那之前，最好依靠专家的建议来降低患 AD 的风险，包括高质量的睡眠、饮食和定期锻炼。

I find this new research about taxi and ambulance drivers having lower rates of AD-related death fascinating.

我发现这项关于出租车和救护车司机 AD 相关死亡率较低的新研究令人着迷。

Considering how often we hear about the risks of certain jobs , it's encouraging to hear about occupations that might actually protect you from disease.

考虑到我们经常听说某些工作的风险，听到实际上可以保护您免受疾病侵害的职业是令人鼓舞的。

If confirmed by other research, the results of this study could lead to a better understanding of Alzheimer's disease - and, more importantly, how to prevent it.

如果得到其他研究的证实，这项研究的结果可能会导致人们更好地了解阿尔茨海默病，更重要的是，了解如何预防它。

Robert H.

罗伯特·H.

Shmerling, MD , Senior Faculty Editor, Harvard Health Publishing; Editorial Advisory Board Member, Harvard Health Publishing

Shmerling，医学博士，哈佛健康出版社高级编辑；哈佛健康出版社编辑顾问委员会成员

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作为为读者提供的一项服务，哈佛健康出版社提供对我们存档内容库的访问。

Please note the date of last review or update on all articles.

请注意所有文章的最后审查或更新日期。

No content on this site, regardless of date, should ever be used as a substitute for direct medical advice from your doctor or other qualified clinician.

本网站上的任何内容，无论日期如何，都不应替代您的医生或其他合格临床医生的直接医疗建议。

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全谷物可以同时改善多种心脏病危险因素

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肺炎症状：有时模糊且出乎意料

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卵巢癌与输卵管之间令人惊讶的联系

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使用振动盘：它能为您的身体做什么，不能做什么

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研究发现，走得更多或走得更快的人寿命更长

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将最新的健康新闻发送到您的收件箱！