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2 clusters · 7 sources · 1 days · First seen · Last updated

Health benefits of gardening

Overview

Research highlights various health advantages associated with gardening, spanning both psychological and physical domains.

From a mental health perspective, contact with nature and soil exposure can reduce stress and improve mood. Specifically, exposure to the bacterium Mycobacterium vaccae may activate brain neurons that synthesize serotonin and lower cortisol levels. The practice also offers psychological gratification through the direct connection between a gardener’s actions and their results.

Physically, gardening serves as a form of moderate activity that engages multiple muscle groups, including the core, back, and limbs. Using the Metabolic Equivalent of Task (MET) to measure energy expenditure, scientists note that while light tasks like watering plants fall below the World Health Organization’s recommended moderate intensity threshold, more strenuous activities such as digging garden beds provide significant physical effort.

Entities

World Health Organization · University of Colorado Boulder · Pia Pera · Christopher Lowry · Royal Marsden Hospital

Claims

What the coverage asserts, and how many sources carry each claim.

Timeline

  1. 30 days ago

    [HEALTH] 5 sources
    Gardening provides health benefits through moderate physical activity

    Scientific studies show that gardening can serve as moderate physical activity, with many tasks meeting WHO health recommendations for energy expenditure.

  2. about 1 month ago

    [HEALTH] 2 sources
    Gardening benefits mental health and reduces stress

    Gardening promotes mental well-being by reducing stress and boosting serotonin. Scientific evidence suggests soil bacteria can lower cortisol, while the practice offers psychological gratification.

Sources

apach57.fr · dilei.it · extratipp.com · hna.de · merkur-online.de · ok.corriere.it · tz.de