Smokers have reduced risk of Parkinson’s disease

When compared with non-smokers, smokers have a 36-50 percent reduced risk of contracting Parkinson’s disease, according to a Helsingin Sanomat story citing research carried out in Finland.

The story, relayed by the TMA, said also that consuming coffee reduced the risk of Parkinson’s disease by 33 percent.

The researchers, who were based at the University of Helsinki and the Helsinki University Central Hospital in Finland, said the exact cause of the risk reduction was currently unknown.

They said, however, that drinking coffee and smoking were associated with the growth of the bacterial population in the gastro-intestinal tract, which played a key role in the synthesis of certain vitamins.

The researchers have yet to examine whether there is a causal effect between these simultaneously occurring changes and Parkinson’s disease.