Cardiovascular Health and Green Spaces

As the overall physical health of Americans continues to decline, it is now more important than ever that efforts are made to promote physical health. Cardiovascular disease, being the number one cause of death in America, is a huge threat and it is extremely important that we take steps towards lowering this risk. One method of doing so is through the development of green spaces.

Researches have found that your proximity to these green spaces is associated with cardiovascular health, as shown by a "range of biomarkers of cardiovascular injury and disease risk." They found that living in areas with green spaces is associated with lower stress as well as lower cardiovascular disease risk. These areas can encourage physical activity, and also play a role protecting us from various urban pollutants. It encourages socialization within communities, and this increased sense of well-being can lower stress. And while much of the benefits of green spaces are mental, physical benefits have also been found. The "greenness" of an area has been reported to be associated with "better recovery from major adverse cardiovascular events", and lower mortality rates in general. Interestingly enough, researches also found that people living in greener areas have a better would healing response, and can repair blood vessels at higher rates. While the underlying causes for many of these benefits remain unclear, the fact remains that current research seems to support the view that an increase in urban green spaces has a positive effect on cardiovascular health.

Yeager, Ray et al. “Association Between Residential Greenness and Cardiovascular Disease Risk.” Journal of the American Heart Association vol. 7,24 (2018): e009117. doi:10.1161/JAHA.118.009117