Try This-Three Things I’m Paying Attention To

This week, I’m sharing three things that are top of mind for me. We’re talking about Parkinson’s disease, a better alternative to 10,000 steps, and an update on the role of LDL cholesterol in our heart health. 

Let’s jump in.

Parkinson’s Disease Linked to Living Near Golf Courses 

This is pretty wild but also entirely believable if you’ve been following the science. A shocking new study has linked proximity to golf courses with Parkinson’s disease. Why? Because of the exposure to environmental toxins such as pesticides. I actually lived on a golf course for a year, and reading this makes me super glad that I moved away. The Parkinson’s foundation is calling for action—living within 1–2 miles of a golf course increases your risk of developing Parkinson’s by 198 percent! Even drinking water from wells near golf courses makes you vulnerable.

Now, I don’t want anyone freaking out about this study. Even though I don’t live on a golf course now, I do live within 2 miles of a few here in Los Angeles. Does that mean I’m moving anytime soon? No way.

We have to zoom out and realize that this study is an important reminder to filter your water, and ideally your indoor air, and minimize other risk factors because it’s not just pesticides that increase your risk of Parkinson's disease…

I interviewed Dr. Ray Dorsey, author of Ending Parkinson’s Disease, about the top causes, and he also discussed dry cleaning and indoor air pollution as two major culprits that increase exposure. You can listen to this episode here.

10,000 Steps? Try 10 Minutes of Vigorous Exercise Instead 

One of my go-to experts, Dr. Rhonda Patrick, has some words of advice: forget focusing on 10,000 steps—getting 10 minutes of vigorous exercise might be way more impactful. 

I don’t know about you, but there have been so many times I have looked at my phone’s step tracker later in the day, realized that I hadn’t gotten my 10,000 steps, and felt super rushed to get them all in. 

Well, Dr. Patrick says this might not be the goal we want to aim for. Instead, getting up and doing a few minutes of exercise throughout the day, or even just doing 10 minutes of vigorous exercise, can help decrease your risk of heart disease, regulate your glucose, and improve your overall health. This is for people who identify as exercisers and also those who don’t! 

By the way, “vigorous exercise” means you're really getting after it—your heart rate is increasing and you're breathing hard. (Chatting with a friend mid-workout? Not happening.) You're likely hitting 70–85 percent of your max heart rate, which means you're pushing into that zone where the real magic happens. 

So, who is with me on replacing 10,000 steps with 10 minutes of vigorous exercise? 

Keto and LDL Study Update and Controversy 

A few weeks ago, I shared a study that looked at lean mass hyper-responders—people who are metabolically healthy but have high LDL and ApoB. I’ve always thought I fell into this category and have often wondered about and worked with doctors on whether or not I should be concerned about my abnormal lipids. This study seemed to offer me and others in this camp some peace of mind, because the conclusion was presented as “plaque begets plaque”—essentially saying that those with high baseline plaque saw higher plaque progression. (But not everyone with high ApoB saw major plaque progression.)

But to say that the study has been met with a lot of criticism and controversy is an understatement. And many researchers, doctors, and wellness enthusiasts have since pointed out the fact that despite these lean mass hyper-responders being metabolically healthy, they still had more, or just as much, plaque progression than cohorts from other studies—cohorts that weren’t as metabolically healthy. Critics of the study also pointed out that the researchers didn’t fully emphasize the primary outcome—specifically, the progression of non-calcified plaque in lean mass hyper-responders—which led to claims that the study lacked transparency, (to his credit Dave Feldman has owned up to this mistake).

Honestly, there are so many ins and outs around the controversy. I know because I have written about it, and people have been asking me, “So, is lifelong LDL an issue or not?” 

The answer is most likely yes, even if you are metabolically healthy.

Very high LDL and ApoB (even if they aren’t the whole story) can be a major red flag—or at least a big yellow caution light. The encouraging part is that if you fall into this category, we have more tools than ever to gauge what’s really happening in the body. I’m more convinced than ever that I’m doing the right thing by taking medication to address my LDL and ApoB and getting scans to look at hard and soft plaque buildup. You can read more about what steps I’ve been taking for the last two years to address this in my own life here. 

And if you want to learn more about this study, the controversy, and updated info, check out this podcast episode with Dave Feldman. 

Stay healthy, curious, and, as always, data-driven.

Dhru Purohit