Cancer, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes are among the most important public health challenges worldwide. The American Cancer Society, the World Health Organization, the International Agency for Research on Cancer, the World Heart Federation and others reported that besides smoking, the main modifiable risk factors for chronic disease include poor diet (low intake of fruits, vegetables and fiber) and physical inactivity.
Community gardens are a promising nature-based lifestyle intervention that may promote active, healthy and socially engaged lives, such as providing people with spiritual places away from everyday stress, access to healthy food, promoting exercise and building active social networks. Thus reducing the risk factors for cancer and other chronic diseases.
Professor Jill S Litt and others of the University of Colorado at Boulder published in the The Lancet Planetary Health journal entitled: Effects of a community gardening intervention on diet, physical activity, and anthropometry outcomes in the USA (CAPS): an observer-blind, randomised controlled trial A research paper.
This is the first randomized controlled trial of community gardening, which found that people who spend time gardening have a lower risk of cancer and chronic disease, possibly due to gardening causing them to eat more vegetable fiber and do more exercise. In addition, their stress and anxiety levels also decreased significantly.
The findings provide specific evidence that community gardening can help the community to play an important role in preventing cancer, chronic diseases and mental health disorders.
Professor Jill S Litt has been working to find affordable, scalable and sustainable ways to reduce disease risk, especially in low-income groups. And gardening seems to be an ideal start. Many people say that gardening brings a good feeling. But there is little scientific evidence for the specific benefits. Some small, observational studies have found that people who like gardening tend to eat more fruits and vegetables and have a healthier weight. But it's unclear causal, whether healthier people like gardening, or whether gardening promotes health.
To fill the current research gap, Professor Jill S Litt recruited 291 adults who had not previously gardening, with an average age of 41, and more than half from low-income families. Half of these participants were assigned to the Community Horticulture Group, which received a free community garden, some seeds and seedlings, and took an introductory horticulture course. The other half was assigned to the control group, which was asked to wait a year before starting gardening. Participants in both groups received regular surveys on nutrient intake and mental health, took physical measurements, and wore activity monitors.
By the fall, the gardening group averaged 1.4 grams more fiber per day than the controls, an increase of about 7%. Fibers have profound effects on inflammation and immune responses, from how we metabolize food to the health of our gut microbiota to our susceptibility to diabetes and certain cancers. Although doctors recommend adults consume 25-38 g of fiber per day, the actual average intake is less than 16 g. Each additional 1 g of fiber intake has a huge positive effect on health.
In addition, the horticultural group had physical activity levels increased by approximately 42 minutes per week. Public health agencies recommend at least 150 minutes of physical activity per week, but less than a quarter of people reach this recommended value. In this study, the gardening group visited the community gardens two or three times a week, which yielded an activity level of 28% of the recommended weekly physical activity level.
The study also found that stress and anxiety levels also decreased in the gardening group, with those most stressed and anxious experiencing the most reduction in mental health problems. The study also confirms that even novice novices have considerable health benefits from this pastime. The team believes they will enjoy more benefits with more gardening experience.
The results of these studies suggest that gardening increases one vegetable and fruit intake, and, in addition, increases the amount of physical activity.Both fiber intake and exercise are known to be effective in reducing the risk of cancer and chronic diseases.
Professor Jill S Litt said, in addition to the above two reasons, gardening also brings a new benefit —— make new friends, even if you just want to grow some vegetables and in the garden, fruit, but in the process, usually inevitably share techniques, recipes, over time, these relationships will "blossom". Thus, community gardening not only brings vegetables, fruits and sports, but also brings social relationships in outdoor natural spaces.
The research team said the study shows that community gardening can provide a nature-based solution to improve well-being and important behavioural risk factors for NCDs and chronic diseases. It is hoped that these findings will encourage health professionals, policy makers and land planners to pay attention to community gardens and the space gathering in nature.
It is worth mentioning that in November 2022, Professor Gao Xiang's team from the School of Public Health of Fudan University published papers in the Journal of Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics journal. The study showed that the horticultural activities of growing vegetables and flowers were beneficial to cardiovascular health.
