Grays need green - goodnews - Brief Article

Better Nutrition, April, 2003

If you want to live longer, maybe you should retire on a tree-lined street or near a park. That's the implication of a recent study of more than 3,000 people in Tokyo, Japan.

All study participants were seniors who were monitored for more than five years. Although women were more likely to survive than men, both men and women were more likely to survive when they lived near trees and grassy walking areas. The association remained even when other factors that may influence longevity--such as age, gender and marital and socioeconomic status--were removed.

Researchers speculate that seniors who live near these types of areas are more likely to take walks outside, which may contribute to better physical health. Additionally, women were more likely to survive when they had relationships with neighbors. Men, on the other hand, were less likely to survive in noisy areas crowded with factories.

In addition, the more hours per day that sunlight filled a home, the longer male residents tended to live. Women, however, did not seem to be influenced by sunlight.

The study results were published in the December 2002 edition of the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.