Moving to the country may seem like the ideal respite for your mental and emotional health, but rural living could increase your risk of Parkinson’s disease. This is according to new research, appearing in the journal Neurology, which was based on an analysis of more than 100 studies from around the world.
The study researchers from the IRCCS University Hospital San Matteo Foundation in Pavia, Italy, found that exposure to pesticides, bug and weed killers and solvents is associated with a higher risk of developing Parkinson’s disease. According to study author, Dr Emanuele Cereda, ‘Due to this association, there was also a link between farming or country living and developing Parkinson’s in some of the studies.’
The researchers investigated studies on weed, fungus, rodent or bug killers, and solvents and how they may affect your wellbeing with Parkinson’s disease. The researchers also evaluated proximity to these chemicals, due to country living, occupation and drinking water. The results of the study revealed that, if you are exposed to bug or weed killers and solvents, your risk of developing Parkinson’s disease is increased by 33 to 80%.
Exposure to the weed killer paraquat or the fungicides maneb and mancozeb, for example, was associated with twice the risk of developing the disease in controlled studies. Dr Cereda noted, ‘We didn’t study whether the type of exposure, such as whether the compound was inhaled or absorbed through the skin and the method of application, such as spraying or mixing, affected Parkinson’s risk. However, our study suggests that the risk increases in a dose response manner as the length of exposure to these chemicals increases.’
When your wellness is affected by Parkinson’s disease, it means you have a deficiency of dopamine. This is a hormone that affects the way your brain co-ordinates the movements of the muscles in different parts of your body. The chronic neurological disorder mainly develops in those over the age of 50, and roughly five in 1,000 people in their 60s, and 40 in 1,000 people in their 80s have the condition. Parkinson’s tends to present with the symptoms of slowness of movement, stiffness of muscles and shaking. There is currently no cure for the disease, and the symptoms tend to slowly worsen with time. However, the rate varies from patient to patient.
