SoylentNews is people
SoylentNews
Submission Preview
The Scientific Reasons You Should Resolve to Start Gardening
Get more exercise. Eat right. Make new friends. [colorado.edu]
Funded by the American Cancer Society, the first-ever, randomized, controlled trial of community gardening found that those who started gardening ate more fiber and got more physical activity—two known ways to reduce risk of cancer and chronic diseases. They also saw their levels of stress and anxiety significantly decrease.
[...] "These findings provide concrete evidence that community gardening could play an important role in preventing cancer, chronic diseases and mental health disorders," said senior author Jill Litt, a professor in the Department of Environmental Studies [colorado.edu] at CU Boulder.
[...] "No matter where you go, people say there's just something about gardening that makes them feel better," said Litt, who is also a researcher with the Barcelona Institute for Global Health.
But solid science on its benefits is hard to come by. Without evidence, it's hard to get support for new programs, she said.
[...] To fill the gap, Litt recruited 291 non-gardening adults, average age of 41, from the Denver area. More than a third were Hispanic and more than half came from low-income households.
[...] By fall, those in the gardening group were eating, on average, 1.4 grams more fiber per day than the control group—an increase of about 7%.
[...] Study participants also saw their stress and anxiety levels decrease, with those who came into the study most stressed and anxious seeing the greatest reduction in mental health issues.
[...] "Even if you come to the garden looking to grow your food on your own in a quiet place, you start to look at your neighbor's plot and share techniques and recipes, and over time relationships bloom," said Litt, noting that while gardening alone is good for you, gardening in community may have additional benefits. "It's not just about the fruits and vegetables. It's also about being in a natural space outdoors together with others."
Journal Reference:
Jill S. Litt, Katherine Alaimo, Kylie K. Harrall, et al., Effects of a community gardening intervention on diet, physical activity, and anthropometry outcomes in the USA (CAPS): an observer-blind, randomised controlled trial, Lancet Planet Health, 7, 2023. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S2542-5196(22)00303-5 [doi.org]
