New research has found that living in a tree-filled neighborhood might have health benefits for your heart similar to regular exercise.
The Green Heart Louisville Project’s HEAL Study found that participants who lived in areas with more trees and shrubs had lower levels of a blood marker that’s associated with various health issues, including heart disease, diabetes, and cancer.
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The research, which took place at the University of Louisville, studied hundreds of people living in low- to middle-income neighborhoods in South Louisville, Kentucky. Researchers collected blood, urine, nail, and hair samples to measure the risks of heart disease before and after planting thousands of trees in the community.
“We are trying to see if we can decrease the rates of heart disease in a community,” explained Aruni Bhatnagar, project lead and a professor of medicine at the University of Louisville.
The researchers planted almost 8,500 mature trees between 2019 and 2022 to study the correlation between trees and decreased risk of heart disease. Last year and this year, they then rechecked the participants’ blood levels to determine whether their risks decreased. As it turned out, those living within the tree-filled areas experienced 13% lower levels of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, a marker associated with heart disease, autoimmune disorders, and inflammation, among other issues.
“I wouldn’t have expected such a strong biomarker response, and that speaks to maybe something truly is causal here with how trees impact health,” said Peter James, director of the Center for Occupational and Environmental Health at the University of California, Davis School of Medicine.
It’s long been known that plants can improve our health and well-being, but this new study shows just how impactful they can be. Trees, in particular, can provide shade, relief from harsh sunlight and sweltering heat, and better air quality. Probably, it also encourages people to exercise more, too, since trees are just so lovely to be around.
