Studies of more than 60 million people have revealed that the greener the living environment, the lower the risk of dementia!

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Written by Jevin

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressively developing neurodegenerative disease
with an insidious onset.
Clinically characterized by global dementia manifestations such as memory impairment, aphasia, apraxia, agnosia, impairment of visuospatial skills, executive dysfunction, and personality and behavioral changes, there are about 40 million patients worldwide, with China accounting for a quarter
.

Recently, a study published in JAMA Network Open found that living in areas with a high proportion of parks and rivers seems to slow the risk
of progression of neurological diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's.

https://jamanetwork.
com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2799727

Research background

 01 

Neurological disorders are the leading cause of disability and the second leading cause
of death worldwide.
The most prevalent neurological disorders in the United States are Alzheimer's disease (AD) and Parkinson's disease (PD).

The prevalence of neurological disorders is likely to continue to increase due to
increased life expectancy.
There is no cure for AD or PD, so it is important
to identify modifiable risk factors.

Environmental exposure may affect the risk and/or exacerbate symptoms of AD and PD, and air pollution is associated with
the incidence of AD and PD.
Little is known about the effects of the natural environment, which may influence the incidence or symptoms
of AD and PD through a variety of mechanisms.
Natural environments, such as forests, parks, street trees, and rivers, can help reduce stress and restore focus, provide an environment for physical activity and social interaction, and reduce exposure to air pollution, extreme heat, and noise
.
These exposures also prevent several neurosystem-related outcomes, such as cognitive decline, stroke, and mortality from neurodegenerative diseases
.

Research process

 02

From January 1, 2000 to December 31, 2016, the AD cohort and PD cohort included 61662472 subjects and 61673367 subjects
, respectively.
The vast majority (76.
6%) of the subjects were 65~74 years old
when they were included in the study.

During study follow-up, nearly 7.
7 million participants were hospitalized for AD and nearly 1.
2 million for PD
.
From January 2021 to September 2022, the researchers analyzed
the subject data.

Based on data from nearly 61.
7 million subjects, this study evaluated the impact
of three different natural environments on the risk of hospitalization for AD and PD in the elderly population.
Specifically, the three different natural environments include green (high vegetation cover), park (high coverage of parks for outdoor recreation), and blue (high proportion of surface water cover).

Research significance

 03 

The findings suggest that a green environment is associated
with the risk of AD in the overall cohort population.
The higher the proportion of vegetation covered by the Standardized Vegetation Index (NDVI), the lower
the risk of hospitalization for AD.
In addition, the park environment, blue environment was not
associated with the risk of hospitalization of AD.
In the overall cohort population, green environment, park environment, and blue environment were all associated with
a reduced risk of PD.

In summary, green environment, park environment, and blue environment were associated with a reduced risk of PD hospitalization, and a green environment was associated with
a reduced risk of AD hospitalization.
The results of this study further confirm that exposure to certain natural environments may have a protective effect
in reducing the risk of AD and PD.

Resources:

https://jamanetwork.
com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2799727

Note: This article is intended to introduce the progress of medical research and cannot be used as a reference
for treatment options.
If you need health guidance, please go to a regular hospital
.