Gun ban will start on January 2010 and whether I like it or not, I have to lay low with the sports that I love which is practical shooting and airsoft. It’s time for me to look for other sports that I can play anytime I want without compromising my work.
My brother had been playing golf for more than a year now and he was encouraging me to try this sport. Golf, is an outdoor game which started way back 14th to 15th century in Scotland, where individual players use specially designed clubs to propel a small, hard ball over a field of play known as a course or links. The objective of the game is to advance the ball around the course which is divided into 18 sections, called holes, by using as few strokes as possible.
Last Friday, I had my third golf lesson at Torre Pines. It was fun but I can still feel the body pains I had in my previous sessions as I tried to perfect my swing. I never expected that this sport would be as physical as other sports like basketball or tennis.
As I was searching in the net for the price of a new set of clubs that I’m going to use, I came across an article about diabetes in golf.
Is golf really causing diabetes? According to studies done by National Institutes of Health (NIH), a pesticides commonly used on golf courses was linked to diabetes. Trichlorfon, a pesticides used on the turf, a dense layer of grass being use on golf courses was linked to a whopping 250% increase in diabetes risk to the workers who apply the pesticides.
Trichlorfon, was associated with an 85% increase in risk of diabetes for even infrequent users, and a 250% increase in risk for those who had applied it more than 10 times. Of those who used the chemical frequently, 8.5% developed diabetes, versus 3.5% of those who had never used it.
Type II diabetes is characterized by insulin resistance, which initially is compensated by an increase in insulin production. Over time, the pancreas fails to produce sufficient insulin to stimulate adequate glucose uptake in adipose and muscle tissues, leading to hyperglycemia and type II diabetes. Pancreatic β-cells contain muscarinic acetylcholine receptors, which are involved in the glucose-dependent production of insulin. Organophosphate insecticides like trichlorfon are known inhibitors of acetylcholinesterase, the enzyme responsible for the degradation of acetylcholine. Thus, exposure to sufficiently high levels of organophosphate insecticides would be expected to result in increased accumulation of acetylcholine, potentially leading to overstimulation and eventual down-regulation of its receptors and reducing insulin production.
Identifying modifiable risk factors for diabetes is important, given that approximately >360 million individuals will have diabetes by 2030 worldwide. In addition to diet and obesity, there is increasing evidence that environmental exposures should also be considered as potential risk factors.
However, the effects of chronic exposure to more moderate levels of organophosphate insecticides on glucose metabolism and diabetes in humans and the extent to which exposure to pesticides in other classes may contribute to diabetes risk are unclear.
On a personal note, as long as our workers in the golf course, who applies the pesticides on the fairway, observes proper handling of organopgosphate insecticides and golfers walks instead of riding in a golf cart, this sport would be a good exercise in preventing diabetes and its complications. Tee off !
Last Friday, I had my third golf lesson at Torre Pines. It was fun but I can still feel the body pains I had in my previous sessions as I tried to perfect my swing. I never expected that this sport would be as physical as other sports like basketball or tennis.
As I was searching in the net for the price of a new set of clubs that I’m going to use, I came across an article about diabetes in golf.
Is golf really causing diabetes? According to studies done by National Institutes of Health (NIH), a pesticides commonly used on golf courses was linked to diabetes. Trichlorfon, a pesticides used on the turf, a dense layer of grass being use on golf courses was linked to a whopping 250% increase in diabetes risk to the workers who apply the pesticides.
Trichlorfon, was associated with an 85% increase in risk of diabetes for even infrequent users, and a 250% increase in risk for those who had applied it more than 10 times. Of those who used the chemical frequently, 8.5% developed diabetes, versus 3.5% of those who had never used it.
Type II diabetes is characterized by insulin resistance, which initially is compensated by an increase in insulin production. Over time, the pancreas fails to produce sufficient insulin to stimulate adequate glucose uptake in adipose and muscle tissues, leading to hyperglycemia and type II diabetes. Pancreatic β-cells contain muscarinic acetylcholine receptors, which are involved in the glucose-dependent production of insulin. Organophosphate insecticides like trichlorfon are known inhibitors of acetylcholinesterase, the enzyme responsible for the degradation of acetylcholine. Thus, exposure to sufficiently high levels of organophosphate insecticides would be expected to result in increased accumulation of acetylcholine, potentially leading to overstimulation and eventual down-regulation of its receptors and reducing insulin production.
Identifying modifiable risk factors for diabetes is important, given that approximately >360 million individuals will have diabetes by 2030 worldwide. In addition to diet and obesity, there is increasing evidence that environmental exposures should also be considered as potential risk factors.
However, the effects of chronic exposure to more moderate levels of organophosphate insecticides on glucose metabolism and diabetes in humans and the extent to which exposure to pesticides in other classes may contribute to diabetes risk are unclear.
On a personal note, as long as our workers in the golf course, who applies the pesticides on the fairway, observes proper handling of organopgosphate insecticides and golfers walks instead of riding in a golf cart, this sport would be a good exercise in preventing diabetes and its complications. Tee off !
Nice blog doc! just concerned with the novelty of these finding. what is organophosphates mode of administration? is it inhalation? or droplets? anyways, i think it only accounts for a little percentage as contribution to various predisposing factors of DM as organophosphates is only an ingredient to pesticides. and i think their are still a lot of chemicals and environmental substances that could also triggers DM, they're just waiting to be unravelled. Bottomline is, healthy lifestyle matters most.
ReplyDeleteBy the way doc, just a thought, it could be a good research study in the future. it could be entitled " Effect of Organophosphates in Turf Pesticides as a Contributing Factor of DM to Golfers" It could be a huge contribution, right? Bay e lng, if madayon ko Ph.D, it could be a great topic for dissertation. hehehe!
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