出門來場森林浴吧

根據(jù)東英吉利大學(xué)的最新研究，靠近大自然并且多出門走走對身體有明顯的益處。

A new report published today reveals that exposure to greenspace reduces the risk of type II diabetes, cardiovascular disease, premature death, preterm birth, stress, and high blood pressure.

今天發(fā)表的一份新研究報告顯示，身處綠地之中可以降低II型糖尿病、心血管疾病、過早死亡、早產(chǎn)、高血壓和高心理壓力的風(fēng)險。

Populations with higher levels of greenspace exposure are also more likely to report good overall health - according to global data involving more than 290 million people.

根據(jù)超過2.9億份的數(shù)據(jù)顯示，與自然接觸更多的人的身體狀況更好。

Lead author Caoimhe Twohig-Bennett, from UEA's Norwich Medical School, said: "Spending time in nature certainly makes us feel healthier, but until now the impact on our long-term wellbeing hasn't been fully understood.

來自東英吉利大學(xué)諾里奇醫(yī)學(xué)院的Caoimhe Twohig-Bennett表示，身處自然的懷抱中，首先會讓我們自我感覺更加健康，然而未知的是，大自然對我們健康的長期影響。

The research team studied data from 20 countries including the UK, the US, Spain, France, Germany, Australia and Japan - where Shinrin yoku or 'forest bathing' is already a popular practice.

研究小組研究了來自20個國家的數(shù)據(jù)，其中包括英國、美國、西班牙、法國、德國、澳大利亞和日本。

'Green space' was defined as open, undeveloped land with natural vegetation as well as urban greenspaces, which included urban parks and street greenery.

綠色空間的定義是，開放的、尚未開發(fā)的擁有自然植被的土地。常見的就是城市公園和街道綠化。

The team analysed how the health of people with little access to green spaces compared to that of people with the highest amounts of exposure.

研究團(tuán)隊(duì)分析了接觸綠色空間最多的人和幾乎無法接觸到綠色空間的人的健康狀況。

"We found that spending time in, or living close to, natural green spaces is associated with diverse and significant health benefits. It reduces the risk of type II diabetes, cardiovascular disease, premature death, and preterm birth, and increases sleep duration.

他們發(fā)現(xiàn)，接觸自然綠色對身體健康有著明顯的益處，可以降低多種疾病的風(fēng)險，并且能夠增加睡眠時間。

"People living closer to nature also had reduced diastolic blood pressure, heart rate and stress. In fact, one of the really interesting things we found is that exposure to greenspace significantly reduces people's levels of salivary cortisol - a physiological marker of stress.

“離自然更近的人也會降低舒張壓、心率和壓力。事實(shí)上，我們發(fā)現(xiàn)的一個非常有趣的事情是，暴露于綠色空間顯著降低了人們的唾液皮質(zhì)醇水平——一種生理壓力的標(biāo)志。

"This is really important because in the UK, 11.7 million working days are lost annually due to stress, depression or anxiety."

這是一個非常實(shí)用的發(fā)現(xiàn)。在英國，由于壓力、抑郁和焦慮而損失的工作日，每年有1170萬個。

"Forest bathing is already really popular as a therapy in Japan - with participants spending time in the forest either sitting or lying down, or just walking around. Our study shows that perhaps they have the right idea!

在日本，森林浴已經(jīng)成為了一種流行的做法。人們僅僅是在森林里靜坐或躺著，或者四處走走。如今，研究結(jié)果也許支持了他們的想法。

"Although we have looked at a large body of research on the relationship between greenspace and health, we don't know exactly what it is that causes this relationship.

雖然，我們已經(jīng)做了大量的研究來證實(shí)綠色空間和健康之間的關(guān)系，但我們尚不明確的是什么建立了這種關(guān)系。

"People living near greenspace likely have more opportunities for physical activity and socialising. Meanwhile, exposure to a diverse variety of bacteria present in natural areas may also have benefits for the immune system and reduce inflammation.

目前有幾種猜測。其一，生活在綠地附近的人們，由于便利會花更多時間在綠地中，從而接觸到自然界中的各種細(xì)菌，這樣做對免疫系統(tǒng)有益，并且能夠減少炎癥的發(fā)生。

"Much of the research from Japan suggests that phytoncides - organic compounds with antibacterial properties - released by trees could explain the health-boosting properties of forest bathing."

其二，日本的研究表明，樹木能釋放一種具有抗菌特性的有機(jī)物，由此解釋了森林浴的作用。

Study co-author Prof Andy Jones, also from UEA, said: "We often reach for medication when we're unwell but exposure to health-promoting environments is increasingly recognised as both preventing and helping treat disease. Our study shows that the size of these benefits can be enough to have a meaningful clinical impact."

同樣來自東英吉利大學(xué)的Andy Jones教授說：“當(dāng)人們感到不舒服時，往往依靠藥物。現(xiàn)在的趨勢表明，身處在一個對健康有益的環(huán)境能夠更有效地預(yù)防或是幫助治療疾病。我們的研究就是為了證明這些益處是有臨床意義的。”

The research team hope that their findings will prompt doctors and other healthcare professionals to recommend that patients spend more time in greenspace and natural areas.

研究小組希望他們的研究結(jié)果能促使醫(yī)生建議患者多接觸綠色環(huán)境。

Twohig-Bennett said: "We hope that this research will inspire people to get outside more and feel the health benefits for themselves.

Twohig-Bennett說：“我們希望這項(xiàng)研究可以激勵人們多出門走走，親身體會一下綠色帶來的舒適。”