It is now scientifically proven that living in leafy neighbourhoods or greener spaces may considerably reduce one's risk for developing heart disease and strokes, keeping the person happy and less stressful at most times.
According to research published in the Journal of the American Heart Association, researchers from the University of Louisville investigated the impact of neighbourhood green spaces on individuals in terms of the risk for stress and cardiovascular disease. Air pollution levels were also assessed using particulate matter. It was found that living in areas with more green vegetation was associated with 'lower levels of stress, better health and higher capacity to repair blood vessels.' The average age of participants in the study was 50, they suffered from high cholesterol, blood pressure and lived in areas with limited green space. It was found that residents living in the greenest localities, had lower urinary levels of the hormone epinephrine (indicating lower stress) and lower urinary levels of F2-isoprostane (indicating lower oxidative stress).
Researchers used the 'Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI),' to estimate and measure the density of green spaces near the participants' residences. NDVI is a tool that indicates the levels of vegetation density, as created from satellite imagery and collected by NASA and the United States Geological Survey (USGS). For the study which panned over five-years, blood and urine samples were collected from 408 participants of varying ages, ethnicity and socioeconomic levels, who were recruited from the university's outpatient cardiology clinic and were at a higher risk of developing cardiovascular diseases. Their risk was calculated using biomarkers of stress and heart disease measured from blood and urine samples, at a cardiology clinic in Louisville, Kentucky.
Aruni Bhatnagar, lead study author, professor and director of University of Louisville's Diabetes and Obesity Center, said, "Our study shows that living in a neighbourhood dense with trees, bushes and other green vegetation may be good for the health of your heart and blood vessels. Indeed, increasing the amount of vegetation in a neighbourhood may be an unrecognised environmental influence on cardiovascular health and a potentially significant public health intervention." She further added that neighbourhood green spaces are associated with positive effects on overall physical and psycho-social health and well-being, as well as improved rates of stroke survival.
Dr Ravi Gupta, cardiologist at Wockhardt hospital in Mumbai feels that "there is no direct established correlation which suggests that how green spaces might reduce stress or improve heart health. However, it is a known fact that increased greenery will definitely improve the air quality and increase the level of oxygen around. This means that we breathe in a good amount of oxygen, minus pollutants, which is beneficial to the smooth functioning of our body's entire cardio system. So in that way, yes, greener neighbourhoods contribute 100 per cent to an improved cardiovascular health."
The findings were independent of age, sex, ethnicity, smoking status, neighbourhood deprivation, use of statin medications and roadway exposure.
