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Living near green spaces would help slow cell aging, according to a study published in the journal Science Advances. The people concerned would have a lower biological age of two and a half years!
What are the effects of greenery on our biological age? To find out, researchers followed more than 900 people living in four American cities (Chicago, Birmingham, Minneapolis and Oakland), for 20 years (from 1986 to 2006).
Live near a park to stay green
They measured the distance between the addresses of the participants and the parks, and analyzed blood samples taken during the fifteenth and then the twentieth year of the study. The goal was to determine each participant’s biological age by looking at chemical changes in DNA.
After analyzing the samples, the scientists found that people living in places surrounded by 30% greenery (within a radius of 5 km) were on average biologically younger than others (those surrounded by 20% greenery). And the gap was two and a half years!
“Living near more greenery can help you look younger than your true age.”, Kyeezu Kim, co-author of the study, told AFP. The researchers specify that they have taken into account in their analysis variables that can affect biological age such as education, income, smoking, etc.
Not all are equal when it comes to the benefits of nature
The study specifies that the benefits observed were not the same for everyone. Indeed, African-American people living near green spaces had a biological age only one year lower than their real age, while Caucasian people had a biological age three years lower than their real age.
To explain this difference, the researchers suggest that black people more often live in disadvantaged neighborhoods where parks are uncrowded because they are home to illegal activities. As a result, black populations visit parks less often and therefore do not benefit from their benefits as much as white populations.
“Other factors such as stress, the quality of surrounding green spaces, and other social factors may affect the magnitude of the benefits from green spaces in terms of biological age.“, explained Kyeezu Kim.
The authors of the study point out, however, that their work did not shed light on the mechanisms involved in the reduction of cellular aging. But they hope their findings can pave the way for further research to examine the health effects of exposure to green spaces.