It looks like a number of my friends and co-workers won’t have to worry about getting Parkinson’s Disease. This in from New Scientist:

Nicotine and caffeine stimulate the production of dopamine. So, researchers theorize, people “exercise” their dopamine pathways by smoking and guzzling java–strengthening them against the onset of Parkinson’s.

You can reduce your risk by 40% by drinking coffee and 50% by smoking. Of course, you still have lung cancer and heart disease to deal with. Oh, well. I’ve seen plenty of smokers and drinkers (alcohol) who lived to their 80s, and plenty who died in their 40s. Just goes to show that it doesn’t matter what you do, you’re gonna die.