Thanks, among other things, to the stimulation of bacteria in contact with soil, gardening strengthens our immune defenses, reports -. This activity would also be a good stress reliever, allow you to exercise and encourage children to eat better.
Having a green thumb would be good for your health. This is what a study published on May 22 by Finnish researchers from the University of Helsinki and relayed by -. Research was mainly focused on microbial exposure and the strengthening of immune defenses thanks to the latter.
“A month of indoor urban gardening boosted the diversity of bacteria on the subjects’ skin and was associated with higher levels of anti-inflammatory cytokines in the blood. The study group used a culture medium with high microbial diversity , imitating the forest floor”, explains Mika Saarenpää, researcher and doctoral student at the Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences at the University of Helsinki. Conversely, the control group used a peat-based medium low in microbes, the study explains, and no changes were observed “in the blood or in the skin microbiota”.
Immunity, anti-stress and physical activity
As for the concrete benefits, Mika Saarenpää indicates that microbial-mediated immunoregulation can notably have an impact on the reduction of immune-mediated diseases as well as their symptoms. “We do not yet know how long the changes observed in the skin microbiota and anti-inflammatory cytokines will persist, but if gardening becomes a hobby, it can be assumed that the regulation of the immune system becomes increasingly continuous”he emphasizes.
The researcher therefore recommends gardening throughout the year, depending on the space and resources available. He notes, however, that it is not necessary to have a large space or garden, since the study was carried out with flower boxes and the seeds came from a store.
According to other studies cited by -, gardening would also allow you to exercise well, particularly when digging, and to be less subject to stress and anxiety. Finally, gardening with children would also encourage them to eat more fruits and vegetables, according to a study from the University of Washington. Their exposure to bacteria and microbes specific to this activity would also be, from a very young age, a means of strengthening their immune system.
