Gardening May Reduce Cancer, Chronic Disease Risk, Boost Mental Health: Study, Univ Colo, Lancet

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- 'Study shows gardening may help reduce cancer risk, boost mental health,' Science Daily, Jan. 6, 2023. Ed. 🫑 🍓

- Source: University of Colorado at Boulder. - Summary: A 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. and mental health in 2023, new CU Boulder research suggests one addition could have a powerful impact: Gardening.

Funded by the American Cancer Society, the first-ever, randomized, controlled trial of community gardening found that those who started gardening ate more fiber & got more physical activity -- 2 known ways to reduce risk of cancer & chronic diseases. They also saw their levels of stress & anxiety significantly decrease. The findings were published Jan. 4 in the journal Lancet Planetary Health. "These findings provide concrete evidence that community gardening could play an important role in preventing cancer, chronic diseases & mental health disorders," said senior author Jill Litt, a professor in the Dept. of Environmental Studies at CU Boulder. Filling the research gap.

Litt has spent much of her career seeking to identify affordable, scalable & sustainable ways to reduce disease risk, especially among low-income communities. Gardening seemed an ideal place to start. "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. Some small observational studies have found that people who garden tend to eat more fruits & vegetables & have a healthier weight. But it has been unclear whether healthier people just tend to garden, or gardening influences health.

Only 3 studies have applied the gold standard of scientific research, the randomized controlled trial, to the pastime. None have looked specifically at community gardening. To fill the gap, Litt recruited 291 non-gardening adults, average age of 41, from the Denver area. More than a third were Hispanic & more than half came from low-income households. After the last spring frost, half were assigned to the community gardening group & half to a control group that was asked to wait one year to start gardening.

The gardening group received a free community garden plot, some seeds and seedlings, & an introductory gardening course through the nonprofit Denver Urban Gardens program, and a study partner.

Both groups took periodic surveys about their nutritional intake & mental health, underwent body measurements & wore activity monitors...https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/01/230106144500.htm