Best location but not necessarily good for your health: according to a US study, living close to a golf course increases the risk of developing Parkinson’s disease.
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According to a study, living close to golf courses increases the risk of developing Parkinson’s disease. The study has been causing a stir in the USA for months.
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According to a US study, people who live near a golf course have an increased risk of developing Parkinson’s disease.According to the study, the risk is particularly high if water is taken from contaminated groundwater sources.The increased risk is associated with pesticides. In the USA, the use of pesticides on golf courses is around 15 times higher than in Europe.For the study, the researchers observed people over a period of 25 years.
Golf is extremely popular in the USA. This is another reason why a large-scale study has been hotly debated for months. According to the scientists’ findings, people who live near a golf course have an increased risk of developing Parkinson’s disease in the course of their lives.
According to the study, the risk of developing the disease is on average two and a half times higher if you live near a golf course. The risk is particularly high if water is taken from contaminated groundwater sources.
The study was published in the Jama Open Network back in May and is still one of the most frequently read studies by doctors.
Pesticide use drastically higher than in Europe
The increased risk of Parkinson’s is mainly associated with exposure to pesticides. These are frequently used on golf courses around the world to meet aesthetic standards. In the USA, however, the use of pesticides on golf courses is up to 15 times higher than in European countries, according to the study authors.
The results suggest that the greatest risk of Parkinson’s is within 1 to 3 miles (1.6 to 4.8 kilometers) of a golf course and “that this risk generally decreases with increasing distance”. The effects are greatest in areas with a golf course in vulnerable groundwater regions.
For the study, Parkinson’s patients in Olmsted County between 1991 and 2015 were first identified as part of the Rochester Epidemiology Project (REP), a medical record linkage system. A movement disorder specialist reviewed the medical records of identified patients to confirm the diagnosis and determine the date of onset of motor symptoms typical of Parkinson’s.
During this period, 450 cases of Parkinson’s disease were registered in Olmstead County, with 9000 control subjects matched by sex and age. After exclusions, 419 Parkinson’s cases and 5113 control subjects were included in the analysis. The nearest golf course was located at a median distance of 1.72 miles for Parkinson’s cases and 1.98 miles for controls.
Contaminated groundwater further increases risk
The likelihood of developing Parkinson’s disease decreased by 9 percent for every mile away from the golf course, up to a distance of 18 miles. People who lived further away from a golf course had a lower risk of Parkinson’s. In addition, people who lived less than one mile from a golf course were 126 percent more likely to develop the disease compared to those who lived more than six miles away.
In addition, a significant dose-response relationship was observed, with Parkinson’s risk being increased by 198 percent at a distance of one to two miles, 121 percent at two to three miles and 92 percent at three to six miles compared to people who lived more than six miles away. In addition, the risk of Parkinson’s disease was almost twice as high in people who received tap water from groundwater supply areas with a golf course as in people who received tap water from supply areas without a golf course.
The study also found that the association between proximity to golf courses and Parkinson’s risk was stronger in urban areas. However, the authors point out that exposure can occur both through contaminated groundwater used as drinking water and through pesticides in the air, especially in areas with higher population density around golf courses.
