[Aces4]

Originally Posted by CoachKandSportsguy

Best medical response to the JAMA article:

May 18, 2025
Limitations
Marcus Shaker, MD, MS | Dartmouth Health
Thank you for this thought-provoking analysis. As the authors highlight, environmental toxins likely have an underrecognized impact on human health. Still, before calling your realtor, it is worth highlighting several limitations of this study.

First, the authors present data on relative risk, so it is important to remember that the absolute risk of Parkinson disease (PD) is low, and even considering the elevated adjusted odds ratios, most individuals living near golf courses will not develop PD.

Second, as the authors note, there is not a dose response seen for those within a 3-mile radius of the golf course. Together with the lack of statistical significance provided in Table 1, this raises concerns for confounding. It appears that the risk of urban residence and White race are higher in cases than distance from a golf course. From Table 1, cases live a median 1.72 miles from a golf course and controls live 1.98 miles away. Is a median difference of 0.26 miles likely to have a plausible impact when there is no dose-response gradient within 3 miles? Are pesticides used on golf courses within 3 miles of a residence more likely to impact PD risk than those used on individuals' own lawns, or those used inside their own homes? And what of the health benefits of green spaces?

Overall, this study reminds us to be aware of unrecognized harms, but further research is needed before planning your next move because of proximity to a golf course.

There probably is a correlation, I know of many farmers who have suffered from Parkinson's disease and they handled many of those types of sprays, weed and pesticide control. But what's the diff..., we all have to die of something and it's hard to beat a golf course view.