Slowly more is becoming known about the causes of dementia. For example, there are lifestyle factors that increase your chance of the disease and it now appears that your environment influences the development of the disorder. A new study shows that greenery around you has a protective effect.
Researchers from the University of British Columbia studied 670,000 adults who either lived within 50 meters of a busy motorway or lived more than 160 meters away. It turned out that those who lived close to a busy road were 14 percent more likely to have Alzheimer’s dementia and Parkinson’s disease. Living in or near a green space protected against the diseases.
It is the first study that shows that a green living environment protects against neurological disorders such as Parkinson’s and dementia. The researchers, whose study in the trade journal Environmental Health appeared, find the explanation in the fact that people in a green environment are likely to move more and have more social interaction. That, in turn, is not a new finding. It has been known for some time that physical exercise has a positive effect on the development of dementia.
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