Living close to greenery reduces risk of metabolic syndrome, finds study

The longitudinal study used data from over 6,000 adults -aged between 45 and 69 at the start of the study- from the Whitehall II cohort from the UK. Participants underwent four examinations over a period of 14 years (1997-2013), with a series of tests including blood analysis, blood pressure and waist circumference measurements. Residential greenness was determined by satellite images.

Also Read: Green Neighbourhood decreases risk of heart disease: JAHA

Key findings include:

• Higher residential surrounding green space was associated with a lower risk of metabolic syndrome.


• An interquartile range increase in NDVI (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index) and VCF (Vegetation Continuous Field) in the 500 m buffer was associated with 13% and 14% lower risk of metabolic syndrome, respectively.


• Greater exposure to green space was also associated with each individual component of metabolic syndrome, including a lower risk of high levels of fasting glucose, large waist circumference, high triglyceride levels, low HDL cholesterol, and hypertension.


• The association between residential surrounding greenspace and metabolic syndrome may have been mediated by physical activity and exposure to air pollution.

Also Read: Vitamin D supplementation may reduce blood sugar and metabolic syndrome risk in postmenopausal women

These findings suggest that long-term exposure to green spaces can play an important role in preventing metabolic syndrome as a whole, as well as individual components such as large waist circumference, high levels of blood fats or hypertension.

The mechanisms underlying this association "could be related to better opportunities provided by green spaces to perform the physical activity as well as a decrease in exposure to air pollution," explains Keijzer. The association observed was higher for women than for men. "Women tend to spend more time in their residential neighbourhood, which could explain this gender difference," adds the researcher.

"The study found more health benefits in those areas with higher tree coverage, which provides a basis for investigating the types of vegetation that impact positively on our health," says Payam Dadvand, ISGlobal researcher and last author of the study.

Green spaces could help reduce the burden of non-communicable diseases, one of the top priorities in public health nowadays. "We need greener cities if we want healthier cities," Dadvand stresses.

A recent study, also by ISGlobal, showed that people living in greener areas have a slower cognitive decline. Less stress, greater longevity, or a better overall and mental health are other benefits proved by scientific studies.

For more details click on the link: DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2019.113231