Women living in homes surrounded by lots of trees and vegetation may
have a lower risk of death than those in areas with less greenery, a
new study suggests.
Researchers sifted through data on more than
108,000 women across the United States. The information was collected
between 2000 and 2008.
The
researchers found that women living in the greenest surroundings had a
12 percent lower risk of death than those in the least green locations.
The study also found that women with the most vegetation around their
homes had a 34 percent lower rate of respiratory disease-related death.
And women living with lush vegetation had a 13 percent lower rate of
cancer death than those with the least green surroundings, the study
reported.
Although the study found associations between living in
greener areas and living longer, it wasn't designed to prove a
cause-and-effect relationship.
"We were surprised to observe such
strong associations between increased exposure to greenness and lower
[death] rates," said study author Peter James, a research associate at
Harvard T.S. Chan School of Public Health, in Boston.
"We were
even more surprised to find evidence that a large proportion of the
benefit from high levels of vegetation seems to be connected with
improved mental health," he said in a school news release.
The
researchers said that better mental health was observed through lower
levels of depression. Other elements that may be involved in the
benefits of greenery include more opportunities for socializing, more
physical activity and less exposure to air pollution, the study authors
said.
source--usnew s
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