Risk of Parkinson’s disease is lowered in tobacco smokers

A pooled analysis of data from previous studies suggests that cigarette smoking appears to be associated with a reduced risk for developing Parkinson’s disease, with long-term and current smokers at the lowest risk, according to a new report. In the study, doctors pooled data from 11,809 individuals, of whom 2,816 were diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease and 8,993 controls from 11 studies conducted between 1960 and 2004. {openx:269} “Our analyses confirmed prior reports of an inverse association between cigarette smoking and Parkinson’s disease similar in size to those reported in a recent meta-analysis,” the authors reported. Other tobacco products appeared to…