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Greater sociability, more physical activity, less anxiety and stress are some of the known benefits badociated with living in neighborhoods rich in green spaces. Now, a new study has also shown an badociation with slower cognitive decline in the elderly.
The work carried out by the Institute of Global Health (ISGlobal) of Barcelona was based on a follow-up of 6500 people between 45 and 68 years in the UK for 10 years.
Although it was already known that contact with nature has beneficial effects on health new research shows that the loss of cognitive functions expected as part of the aging process is slightly slower in people living in greener neighborhoods.
Different moments throughout the study, participants completed a battery of cognitive tests that badessed their verbal and mathematical reasoning their verbal fluency and short-term memory as well as the decline of all these functions as over the years. The green space in the vicinity of each participant was estimated with the help of satellite images
"There is evidence that the risk of dementia and cognitive impairment may be influenced by the Exposure to environmental threats related to the urban environment, air and noise, and lifestyle, with factors such as stress or sedentary behavior, "said Carmen de Keijzer, One of the authors of the research published in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives.
Living near the green spaces increases the physical activity and social life.
"On the contrary," he adds, " lives near green spaces, increases physical activity and social life reduces stress and reduces stress. exposure to air pollution and noise, but studies on the between exposure to green spaces and cognitive decline in the elderly are still rare. "
" Our data show that the decrease in cognitive test scores over the 10-year follow-up period was 4.69% lower among participants living in greener neighborhoods, " sums up the researcher.
According to De Keijzer, "It is interesting to note that the badociations observed were stronger among women which suggests that these relationships could be influenced by gender. "
It is estimated that by 2050, the proportion of people over 60 in the world will double compared to 2015 " and predictions indicate an increase in dementia cases at a similar rate " .
"Although the differences in the decline The cognitive factors observed in our study are modest at the individual level, when they are considered at level of the population, they are much more significant, "adds Payam Dadvand, co-author of the article
. Specific Interventions to slow cognitive deterioration in urban elderly and so on to improve their quality of life. "
(Source: EFE)
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