UK researchers found that being exposed to green space could reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes, premature death, high blood pressure, preterm birth, cardiovascular disease, and stress.
“Green space” was defined as open, undeveloped land with natural vegetation as well as urban green spaces, which included urban parks and street greenery. One of the really interesting things was that exposure to green space significantly reduces people’s levels of salivary cortisol, a physiological marker of stress. The team analyzed how the health of people with little access to green spaces compared to that of people with the highest amounts of exposure. The findings, based on global data involving more than 290 million individuals in 20 countries, revealed that higher levels of green space exposure were also associated with increased odds of having good overall health. The findings have been published in the journal Environmental Research.
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