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The closer you live to a golf course, the more likely you may be to develop Parkinson’s disease, a new study has found
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Residences that shared a water source with a golf coursealso had increased odds of developing the neurodegenerative disorder
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“Living within 1 mile of a golf course was associated with 126% increased odds” of developing the disease, the study says
People who live near golf courses may be 126% more likely to develop Parkinson’s disease, due to the pesticides used on the expansive lawns.
Researchers looked at Parkinson’s disease cases diagnosed near golf course locations and residential areas that share water sources with the courses, for a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, using data from 27 counties in Wisconsin and Minnesota.
Getty
Stock image of a golf course.
“The greatest risk of PD was found within 1 to 3 miles of a golf course and risk generally decreased with distance,” the study found. “Living within 1 mile of a golf course was associated with 126% increased odds of PD compared with those living farther than 6 miles away from a golf course.”
The risk of Parkinson’s disease was nearly double for those whose homes shared water sources with the golf courses.
Parkinson’s disease is a degenerative nervous system disorder that impacts movement. Initial symptoms are tremors or other involuntary movements. As Mayo Clinic explains, there is no cure, but surgery and treatments can help symptoms.
As the JAMA study notes, previous research has linked pesticide use to Parkinson’s disease, and “in the US, pesticide application to golf courses can be up to 15 times higher compared with countries in Europe.”
Getty
Stock image of a golf course.
Approximately 90,000 people in the United States are diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease every year, the Parkinson’s Foundation says.
The organization says that by 2030, 1.2 million people in the U.S. will be living with the disease.
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