Spending Time In Nature Can Help Women Live Longer
- Michelle Gonzalez CCHP, AADP
- Feb 10, 2019
- 1 min read
A recent study found that women live longer when they surround themselves in nature as much as possible. The thought is that natural environments help to lower stress and increase physical / social activity, which leads to greater health. They specifically set out to study the relationship between “residential greenness and mortality”.
The researchers followed 108,630 women between 2000 and 2008. Of those women, 8,604 died during the study. Factors such as age, race, smoking, and socioeconomic status were taking into consideration during this study, and they found that women living with the most greenery in the 250m area near their homes “had a 12% lower rate of all-cause-non-accidental mortality”. The researchers concluded that higher levels of green vegetation actually decreased mortality in these women.
This is powerful information for the modern American living and driving in our urban areas. We spend way too much time indoors, in front of a computer and not enough time outside enjoying green and sunshine. Enjoying the outdoors will lead us to a little more exercise and the absorption of good ole vitamin D- cant beat that combination!
nourishwellwithmichelle.com
https://ehp.niehs.nih.gov/doi/10.1289/ehp.1510363