Consultant Neurologist Professor Tim Lynch has expressed caution over recent studies suggesting a link between rising Parkinson’s Disease cases and pesticide exposure, saying the issue might be “overstating” a complex matter, reports Breaking News.
Appearing on RTÉ radio’s Today with Claire Byrne show, Prof. Lynch noted that while environmental elements might play a role, genetic influences must also be considered.
Still, he did admit, “there is something” contributing to the growing prevalence of the disease. “It’s not just age, there’s something else that’s actually increasing the frequency of it. And the hypothesis is that there is something in the environment, reports Breaking News.
“Is it some of these solvents or could it be various things like pesticides, whether it’s paraquat, whether rotenone or different pesticides used, that could increase the risk and hence the study is intriguing because pesticides are used by golf clubs for greens and for fairways, it’s quite common. That’s changed over time, obviously they’re trying to use less toxins in relation to pesticides in sprays, but they may have been exposed 20, 30 years ago, they could still have an effect on the population. We know there are specific genes that can sometimes cause Parkinson’s to go down through the generations or they get what we call autosomal recessive disease where you get a gene from mom and gene from dad and you get Parkinson’s. So there’s a certain percentage of Parkinson’s, maybe 10 to 15 percent that have got a significant genetic component to it,” reports Breaking News.
Prof. Lynch described the recent findings as originating from an epidemiological study carried out in Rochester since 1991. It involved just over 400 individuals and explored the proximity of their homes to golf courses or sensitive water areas.
“They were able to show about a double increased risk if you were living within a mile of a golf course or if you’re living within a vulnerable water area. It’s a small study, so you can’t overly hang your hat on it,” reports Breaking News.
Although there is still no known cure for neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s, Prof. Lynch shared an encouraging perspective.
“If you’re proactive about various things about your brain, you can certainly look after yourself. So keep yourself intellectually busy, sleep well, exercise, and have a good diet. Maintain social contacts and make sure your blood pressure and sugar levels are well controlled. There are a bunch of variables that keep your brain healthy so your hundred billion neurons remain intact but in particular that you generate those synapses, those connections from neurons to each other and that gets driven by education and very driven by reading,” reports Breaking News.
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