Gardening can reduce the risk of cancer

 American scientists found out that planting seedlings in the garden and caring for them not only improves mental health, but also probably helps to reduce the risk of developing cancer.

Unhealthy nutrition, lack of physical activity and social isolation are risk factors for the development of non-infectious and other chronic diseases. Scientists from the universities of Colorado, South Carolina and other scientific organizations in the United States decided to find out how it can be related to physical activity in nature together with proper nutrition. Their results are reported in The Lancet Planetary Health.

The components of healthy food, in particular, include fiber. Its use affects the prevention of inflammatory and immune reactions of the body, the intestinal microbiome and the development of such diseases as cancer and diabetes. While doctors recommend consuming 25 to 38 grams of fiber per day, the average adult eats less than 16 grams of this dietary fiber each day.

Studies on horticulture are very few and cover small samples. But even such works show that gardeners, as a rule, consume more fruits and vegetables, and also have a more optimal body mass index than people not associated with this kind of activity.

American experts involved in their new study 291 people who had never been involved in gardening before. The average age of the subjects was 41 years, the experiment took place from January 1, 2017 to June 15, 2019. The participants were randomly divided into two groups, the first of which began to systematically work on homesteads, and the second - the control - lived the old life. Both groups periodically passed surveys devoted to nutrition, and their body weight was also measured. In addition, the subjects wore sensors showing their physical activity.

Already by the fall of 2017, it became clear: those who were engaged in gardening consumed 1.4 grams more fiber per day than representatives of the control group. It seems like it's not much. But the authors of the study emphasize that an increase in fiber consumption even by one gram per day can have a positive effect on health.

In addition, the scientists noted that the group of gardeners increased their level of physical activity by approximately 42 minutes per week. And the participants noted a decrease in the level of stress and anxiety. These subjects also communicated with each other more often, i.e. had more social contacts, than members of the control group. Therefore, researchers believe that gardening is beneficial for mental health and can reduce the risk of developing cancer and other non-communicable diseases.