In a new study, researchers found living in a green, leafy neighborhood may help cut people’s heart attack risk.
The research was conducted by University of Miami researchers.
Previous studies have shown that green neighborhood can bring lots of health benefits.
For example, a recent Harvard study showed that people who lived near green spaces were less likely to die over an 8-year period.
Another study showed that greening vacant urban could help reduce the feelings of depression.
Other studies showed that Even viewing green nature can be good for health.
It is possible that a green place may help cut air pollution and encourage physical activity and social connections.
The health benefits of living in a green place include lowered risk of diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol.
In the current study, the team examined the greenness of Miami-Dade’s 36,000 census blocks using satellite imagery.
They analyzed health data of nearly 250,000 Medicare recipients 65 and older. These people lived the greenest parts of Miami-Dade County.
The healthy data included rates of heart attack, ischemic heart disease, heart failure and a type of irregular heart rhythm.
The researchers found the participants were 25% less likely to have a heart attack than people who lived in the least green neighborhoods.
In addition, these people had a 20% lower risk for ischemic heart disease and 16% lower risk for heart failure.
The findings suggest that living in a place with lots of trees and other vegetation can be good for people’s heart health.
This is the first study to focus on heart diseases risk at the block level. The team hopes their study could encourage city planners to focus more on neighborhood parks and tree-planting near homes.
It is important for local residents to have green streetscapes and parks within walking distance of homes.
Future work is needed to confirm the strong link between living in a leafy neighborhood and lower risk of heart disease. It also needs to show why living near a green area is heart-healthy.
The lead author of the study is Scott Brown, a research associate professor of public health sciences and architecture at UM’s Miller School of Medicine.
The study is published in Journal of the American Heart Association.
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