Rome, July 1st. (Adnkronos Salute) – Good news for those who live in green areas or near a park: they will have a life expectancy of 2.5 years more than the others. This is what emerges from a new American study on the subject, published in ‘Science Advances’, in which scientists examined the impact of long-term exposure to surrounding green spaces and its effect on the biological aging of a group of over 900 people residing in four US cities. “Research has shown that proximity to green spaces has caused biological or molecular changes that can be detected in the blood,” explains Lifang Hou, a professor of preventive medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.
The researchers then compared age-related biological changes in the study participants over a 20-year period. Using blood DNA, they were able to estimate people’s biological age. They also looked at changes in gene function related to the aging process. In fact, it is known that if a person’s biological age is accelerated, they will be more at risk of certain diseases (related to aging) such as cancer, heart disease or Alzheimer’s. Biological age is often given by lifestyle rather than by registry office, the researchers point out. And it “really depends on what we do on a daily basis, including what we eat and how active we are,” Lifang Hou points out. The study therefore underlines that in addition to the lifestyle, the environment in which one grows up, the neighborhood in which one lives, the communities one frequents, etc. are important.
Numerous studies have already demonstrated the benefits of green spaces for health and “against premature mortality,” says David Rojas-Rueda, a professor of epidemiology at Colorado State University. Now this new research has quantified the effects of ‘green’ in extending lifespan, but new studies will be needed to actually understand what are the beneficial factors in nature that influence good health.
