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“Studies show a very consistent association of a protective effect of coffee and tea drinking, whether in America, Europe or Asia,” similar to the effect from exercise, said Eng-King Tan, a professor of medicine at the Duke-NUS Medical School in Singapore. “The risk reduction generally is 25 to 30 per cent if you take two to three six- to eight-ounce cups of coffee or tea per day over 10 years.”

A 2023 study by Tan and his colleagues found that individuals who have a genetic predisposition for Parkinson’s can significantly reduce their future risk by drinking coffee or tea.

Be careful about dry-cleaning

Trichloroethylene (TCE), an industrial solvent long used in dry-cleaning, degreasing and furniture care, is considered a carcinogen and has been linked to certain types of cancer, as well as to damage to reproductive organs, the nervous system and the immune system. And a growing body of evidence is beginning to reveal that exposure to high levels of TCE such as in contaminated drinking water – as well as a closely related chemical called perchloroethylene (PCE) – may increase the risk of Parkinson’s.

In December last year, the Environmental Protection Agency in the US banned most uses of PCE and TCE, although manufacturers had up to a year to comply with the rule and up to 10 years for the use of PCE in dry-cleaning and spot cleaning. However, in September, the EPA amended the prohibition compliance date for the disposal of TCE to wastewater by industrial and commercial users to begin on December 18, 2026, instead of September 15 of this year.

A groundbreaking 2023 study discovered that veterans who had been exposed to TCE- and PCE-contaminated water at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune in North Carolina had a 70 per cent higher risk of developing Parkinson’s compared with veterans who lived at Camp Pendleton, a large California base that did not have contaminated water.

Out of nearly 85,000 Marine Corps and Navy personnel, 279 had developed Parkinson’s at Camp Lejeune, compared with 151 out of more than 73,000 veterans at Camp Pendleton. Wells that provided water to the base from 1953 to 1987 were contaminated by leaking underground storage tanks, industrial spills, waste disposal sites and an off-base dry-cleaning business.

In the 1950s, TCE was replaced by PCE in dry-cleaning, but PCE can still biodegrade into TCE. Ray Dorsey, a professor of neurology at the University of Rochester and the author of The Parkinson’s Plan, recommends finding a dry cleaner that does not use PCE, also called “perc”. For instance, you can switch to a dry cleaner that uses professional wet cleaning, a technique involving water and biodegradable detergents instead of harsh chemical solvents such as TCE and PCE.

“If your dry cleaner is using PCE, take the bag off, and air your clothes outside so the chemicals aren’t released inside where you’re breathing them in.”

Avoid pesticides

Numerous studies have linked exposure to high levels of pesticides to Parkinson’s disease. A 2011 study reported that combined exposure to the pesticides ziram, maneb and paraquat in workplaces in a heavily agricultural region of California increased the risk of Parkinson’s threefold.

Switching to organic produce, which avoids certain pesticides, including the three named above, has been shown to reduce pesticide biomarkers found in urine within days. Although exposure to low levels of pesticides from occasional yard use or from eating non-organic produce has not been linked to Parkinson’s disease, it’s not a bad idea to wash produce or eat organic food if you can.

“Reducing your exposure to pesticides is important,” said Jeff Bronstein, director of the movement disorders program at UCLA and an author of the 2011 study. “These are certain fruits and vegetables that have much more contamination – like strawberries, for example.” And regardless of whether or not you buy organic or conventional produce, he said, always wash it.

Consider using a water filter

Drinking water can be a source of pesticides and industrial chemicals such as TCE. For example, pesticides applied to farmlands, gardens and yards can seep into groundwater or surface water systems that feed drinking water supplies. A 2002 study that sampled untreated groundwater from 1255 domestic drinking-water wells and 242 public supply wells in the United States found that 44 per cent of them contained industrial solvents and other volatile organic compounds and 38 per cent contained pesticides.

Golf courses are often treated with pesticides to maintain the pristine look of greens and fairways, and those chemicals can contaminate both the surrounding air and drinking water. Dorsey and his colleagues found in a study this year that people living within 1.6 kilometres of a golf course were more than twice as likely to be diagnosed with Parkinson’s compared with those living 10 or more kilometres away. And residents of a public water district with one or more golf courses had almost double the odds of developing Parkinson’s compared with those without a course.

Another study, from 2009, showed that consuming water from private wells located in areas with documented historical pesticide use resulted in an approximately 70 to 90 per cent increase in the relative risk of Parkinson’s.

Dorsey suggests using a water filter to decrease your exposure. Research has demonstrated that home water filters with activated carbon and reverse osmosis are highly efficient for pesticide removal.

“Parkinson’s is a preventable disease. It’s not a natural consequence of ageing.”

The Washington Post

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