New Research: How Phytonutrients Drive Results in the Younger You BioAge Study
There’s a red flag I’ve learned to pay close attention to in clinical practice—and it’s not just elevated homocysteine or a sluggish DUTCH test. It’s when a new patient mentions they live on or near a golf course.
I get it—golf communities offer beautiful landscapes, a built-in social network, and the allure of leisure. But from a functional medicine lens, living near those meticulously green fairways may not be as benign as they appear. A recent study published in JAMA Network Open [May 2025] reinforces what many of us in environmental medicine have long suspected: proximity to golf courses is associated with significantly increased odds of developing Parkinson’s disease.
Let’s unpack the data, the methods, and—critically—what this means for our patients.
The Study: Methodology & Key Findings
The research team conducted a retrospective case-control study using data from the Rochester Epidemiology Project. The study included 5,532 adults aged 65 and older who had lived in the region for at least two years.
They cross-referenced residential addresses with a geospatial analysis of 139 golf courses and groundwater susceptibility zones in the region. Notably, the researchers considered individual reliance on groundwater for drinking and groundwater vulnerability to contamination, critical in evaluating exposure to agrichemicals.
What They Found:
- People living within 1 mile of a golf course had a 126% increased odds of being diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease compared to those living more than 6 miles away.
- The risk remained elevated within a 3-mile radius of golf courses, but was highest in that 1-mile zone.
- Those living near golf courses and in areas with high groundwater contamination risk had a 82% higher odds of Parkinson’s —a striking synergy.
This study, while observational, is rigorously conducted and adds meaningful weight to what we’ve seen in earlier environmental health research: long-term, low-dose pesticide exposure matters. (And remember, it’s not ethical to use suspected toxic substances in intervention trials so we will never get the so-called ‘gold standard’ RCT trials for environmental toxins – we have to rely on observational and animal/in vitro data).
The Environmental Neurotoxin Connection
Golf courses, by design, are heavily managed landscapes—relying on regular applications of pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, and synthetic fertilizers to maintain the aesthetic of perfectly manicured greens. Many of these chemicals are persistent organic pollutants (POPs), some of which are known to cross the blood-brain barrier and induce mitochondrial dysfunction, oxidative stress, and alpha-synuclein aggregation—hallmarks of Parkinson’s pathology.
What stood out to me in this study was the groundwater piece. In functional medicine, we often talk about the “total load”—the cumulative burden of toxins, stressors, and unmet nutritional needs. For patients relying on well water, the risk is compounded if those water service areas are infiltrated with agrichemicals. These exposures may go unnoticed for years until symptoms arise.
Parkinson’s: Always Multifactorial
Now, let’s be clear. Golf course living is not the sole cause of Parkinson’s. This is a complex, multifactorial neurodegenerative condition. Genetics, trauma, dysbiosis, impaired methylation, and chronic inflammation also play pivotal roles. I’ve written before about lead and homocysteine levels in individuals diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease.
But environmental triggers like pesticide exposure have been connected before. This study puts a sharper focus on a specific, common exposure that may otherwise fly under the radar.
As a clinician, I’m not looking for “the one thing” that causes disease. I’m always looking for the web of interconnected influences—the antecedents, triggers, and mediators that drive dysfunction. And for some patients, this kind of environmental input is a crucial piece of the puzzle.
Clinical Takeaways & What You Can Do
If a patient presents with neurologic symptoms—and lives on or near a golf course—it’s time to dig deeper:
- Assess environmental exposure history: Where have they lived? What’s in their water?
- Test for pesticides or glyphosate via urine or blood panels.
- Support detox pathways with methyl donors, antioxidants (especially glutathione), sulforaphane-rich foods, and binders when appropriate.
- Ensure clean water: Recommend filtration systems for those on private wells, especially reverse osmosis if pesticides are suspected (you can look for reverse osmosis filters that also add back nutrient minerals).
- Look at gene-environment interactions: What does their methylation gene profile look like? Are there SNPs affecting glutathione synthesis, detox enzymes, or dopamine metabolism?
And above all—educate and empower. Many patients are unaware of the hidden risks embedded in lifestyle choices that appear outwardly “healthy.”
Reimagining Healthy Living
If you live near a golf course, or have patients who do, this is not a call to panic—but a call to pay attention (and maybe appeal to said golf course to switch to organic property management! There are ideas for how to work through this and legislative issues at “Golf Can Go Green”). The future of medicine, true root-cause, systems-based medicine, requires us to ask harder questions about how our environment shapes biology.
This study is another reminder that neurological disease prevention must include an environmental health lens. Because clean air, clean water, and toxin-free living are not luxuries. They are foundational to resilient, vibrant health.
Related articles:
Environmental Toxins and Cognitive Decline: 6 Steps to Reduce Your Risk
Toxins and Aging: How Environmental Stressors Impact Longevity
Lead Toxicity: What You Need to Know For You and Your Family
Supplement Recommendations:
Boost Brain Health with Medicinal Mushrooms
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