Residential greenness and risk of prostate cancer.

[pjoshea13]

New study - for what it's worth:

"Men living in greener areas, either recently or about a decade earlier, had lower risks of prostate cancer, independently of socio-demographic and lifestyle factors. These observations are novel and require confirmation."

I wonder how greenness affects survival? Perhaps the folks in Québec will tackle that next.

Does filling ones home with greenery count? Will Medicare one day reimburse me for a therapeutic aspidistra?

-Patrick

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/278...

Environ Int. 2016 Nov 4. pii: S0160-4120(16)30686-9. doi: 10.1016/j.envint.2016.10.024. [Epub ahead of print]

Residential greenness and risk of prostate cancer: A case-control study in Montreal, Canada.

Demoury C1, Thierry B2, Richard H3, Sigler B4, Kestens Y5, Parent ME6.

Author information

1Epidemiology and Biostatistics Unit, INRS-Institut Armand-Frappier, Institut national de la recherche scientifique, Université du Québec, Laval, Québec, Canada. Electronic address: [e-mail].

2University of Montreal Hospital Research Centre (CRCHUM), Montréal, Québec, Canada. Electronic address: [e-mail].

3Epidemiology and Biostatistics Unit, INRS-Institut Armand-Frappier, Institut national de la recherche scientifique, Université du Québec, Laval, Québec, Canada. Electronic address: [e-mail].

4Epidemiology and Biostatistics Unit, INRS-Institut Armand-Frappier, Institut national de la recherche scientifique, Université du Québec, Laval, Québec, Canada. Electronic address: [e-mail].

5University of Montreal Hospital Research Centre (CRCHUM), Montréal, Québec, Canada; School of Public Health, Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Québec, Canada. Electronic address: [e-mail].

6Epidemiology and Biostatistics Unit, INRS-Institut Armand-Frappier, Institut national de la recherche scientifique, Université du Québec, Laval, Québec, Canada; University of Montreal Hospital Research Centre (CRCHUM), Montréal, Québec, Canada; School of Public Health, Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Québec, Canada. Electronic address: [e-mail].

Abstract

BACKGROUND:

Recent studies suggest that exposure to greenness favors several health outcomes. We assessed whether living in the proximity of greener areas was related to prostate cancer incidence in a population-based case-control study in Montreal, Canada.

MATERIALS AND METHODS:

Interviews eliciting lifetime addresses were conducted with 1933 prostate cancer cases diagnosed in 2005-2009 and 1994 population controls. Odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) estimated the association between residential greenness, both at recruitment (2005-2009) and about ten years prior (1996), defined by the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) around the home, and prostate cancer risk. Three models were developed adjusting for age, individual characteristics, and individual and ecological characteristics, estimating relative risk in relation to an interquartile range (IQR) increase of the NDVI.

RESULTS:

We observed inverse associations between greenness measured within home buffers of 150m, 300m, 500m and 1000m, at both time points, and risk of prostate cancer, independently of individual and ecological characteristics. For instance, using a buffer of 300m, the OR for an IQR increase of 0.11 in NDVI at the time of recruitment was 0.82 (95%CI 0.74-0.92). The corresponding OR for an IQR increase of 0.15 in NDVI in 1996 was 0.86 (95%CI 0.74-1.00). There were little differences in risks according to buffer size, the time point of exposure, when considering prostate cancer aggressiveness, or when restricting controls to men recently screened for prostate cancer to reduce the likelihood of undiagnosed cancer among them.

CONCLUSION:

Men living in greener areas, either recently or about a decade earlier, had lower risks of prostate cancer, independently of socio-demographic and lifestyle factors. These observations are novel and require confirmation.

Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

KEYWORDS:

Case-control study; Environment; GIS; Greenness; Prostate cancer

PMID: 27823799 DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2016.10.024

[PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

[BigRich]

Patrick,

Many,many years ago, I read a study: Two groups in the hospital; one group had a view of a brick wall; the other a green lawn, plants, and a tree. The group with the geen view had a quicker recovery then the group viewing the brick wall. They where general surgery patients. I love looking out my front bay window at a massive 18 foot bush, that is more akin to a tree; its branches are thicker then tree branches on a young tree.

Rich

[joeoconnell in reply to BigRich]

certain household plants, such as ferns etc , emit negative ions, which are very beneficial

[Hidden]

This is not at all surprising, whether it needs confirmation or not. If you live in an urban area, you breathe that urban crap. Take for instance, Marcus Hook, Pa. Here is a town that sits directly next to a Sunoco refinery. As a former gas detection technician, I know for a fact that gasses leaked from that refinery on a daily basis. Needless to say, the population has health problems. On the other hand, if you live in, say, Lancaster, PA, you don't have these same health issues. Greener is healthier, no scientist needed.

IMHO, Joe

[Hidden]

I've lived in a desert area now for 40 years. I was diagnosed with prostate cancer several months ago. I have a twin who lives in a green area (upstate NY). He doesn't have prostate cancer.