By: Dené K. Dryden, Post Bulletin

How close you live to a golf course can impact your risk of developing Parkinson's disease, according to a new study that looked at 25 years of Olmsted County data.

"We found that, basically, living close by to a golf course increases the risk of Parkinson's disease," particularly if they share a drinking water source with the golf course, said Dr. Rodolfo Savica, a Mayo Clinic neurologist and coauthor of the study, published in JAMA Network Open in May.

Among Americans age 70 or older, Parkinson's disease is the second-most common brain disease, after Alzheimer's, affecting 2 percent of that group, Savica said. Symptoms of the disease, such as tremors, slowed movements, stiff muscles and more, worsen over time. The cause of the disease is still unknown

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