The headline is meant to suggest causality, without straight up lying. Because that'a what gets views, and sells adds. But the data doesn't remotely suggest it may cause Parkinson's. At most it exacerbates some actual cause, and it only does that very slightly.

Novocirab@feddit.org · 6 pts · 35d

Noise consistently activates the stress axis, which governs extremely potent biochemical pathways and thus over time can bring about physical changes easily. Especially to sensitive tissues like nerve tissue. This is well established. It's similar with disturbed sleep. For Parkinson's disease specifically, the Guardian article mentions this:

Existing research has found potential biological pathways that link noise exposure to Parkinson’s disease, largely due to stress responses and disrupted sleep.

"Potential", sure, but altogether (i.e. now also including the prospective (!) decade-long (!) cohort study with over three million (!) participants), the causal link is very probable.

Regarding the magnitude observed here, I admit a hazard ratio of 1.04 (so +4%) is not large. Note, though, that it's "per interquartile increment of 8.9 dB". So going up three quartiles (+27 dB, about 7 times as loud) already gives you somewhat above 12% additional risk.

This is territory where it's getting relevant for personal and societal decision-making—especially when considering that Parkinson's is just one disease of many.

SaveTheTuaHawk@lemmy.ca · 2 pts · 34d (1 reply)

oh yes, this is why all rock stars have Parkinson's.

Steve@communick.news · 1 pts · 34d

Seems pop stars should also.

Swaus01@piefed.social · 0 pts · 35d (3 replies)

[ removed ]

Steve@communick.news · 2 pts · 35d (1 reply)

Sound is vibrations.
The brain is neurons. (mostly)

jerkface@lemmy.ca · 1 pts · 34d

It's only 50% neurons by cell count iiuc

SaveTheTuaHawk@lemmy.ca · 1 pts · 34d

Parkinson's disease is a whole body disorder. Calling it a brain disease is very 1996.

SaveTheTuaHawk@lemmy.ca · 2 pts · 34d

They have no mechanism. Poor people live in noisier areas, there are so many variables.

SaveTheTuaHawk@lemmy.ca · 2 pts · 34d (1 reply)

Media just loves shitty epidemiology with correlation and no mechanism.

Novocirab@feddit.org · 1 pts · 34d

Oh how you reply to most every comment in this post except for the one where I talk about mechanisms (the mechanisms which the Guardian writes about also).